Customer Reviews

Drawn to the Deep End

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

With the crushed romanticism and emotional bleakness Drawn to the deep end recalls The Cure's Disintegration (*****) and with its strings and inevitable melodrama Suede's Dog Man Star (*****) will also come to mind. The fact that it bears close comparison to these albums is an indicator of the masterpiece that Gene have produced. A quite beautiful record.

...was Gene's "Where Are They Now?"

Of course, Morrisey and Co. started it all. I also generally prefer Marr's jangly 60's guitar over the more bluesy, so-called "pub" sound of Gene. But while the Smith's up-tempo, early numbers were unmatched, Morriseys penchant for draggy, pointless, dirge-like numbers always brought their albums down a few notches.

Not so with Gene. Gene's moodier pieces typically had better direction and melody. Rossiter's writing and delivery managed to be more poetic and heart-felt than Morriseys.

"Where Are They Now" is the whole reason I looked into this band. It is almost a Britpop answer to "Stairway to Heaven." Lovely and tender at first, changing gears midway to a stirring and gripping mid-tempo climax (without the shrillness Morrisey would resort to).

Perfection is a series of refinements, and sometimes the followers are part of part of the process.

in classic britpop mode, gene released a pretty decent debut album in 'olympian' then absolutely smashed it with their second release, 'drawn to the deep end.' martin morrissey, er, rossiter finally stopped invoking the mozzer mystique in favor of his own vocal styling. the results are more than satisfying. rozzer has a very nice voice. steve mason, for his part, was always an underrated guitarist. it's too bad because he lays down some serious riffage on 'drawn to the deep end.'

the first half of the album is hit after hit after hit. 'drawn...' is a much more complex album than it's predecessor, relying more on tempo shifts, trickier arrangements, and a bit more rawkish sound. the albums to stand out tracks, 'where are they now?' and the outstanding 'we could be kings' show just how much the lads had learned and grown while writing and recording their second album. the second half of the album isn't nearly as interesting as the first (except for 'the accidental'), but the first half of the album provides the listener with more than enough sophisticated ear candy to warrant the purchase.

sadly gene never reached the fame reached by oasis, blur, the verve and others. and sadly they disappeared without so much as a blip on the radar. for those of you who missed gene the first time around, their first two albums are worthy additions to the britpop canon.

this record is dense with melody, full of twists and turns, and full of some really rocking songs! a very very solid follow up to the wonderful Olympian debut! kind of like Morrissey with bigger balls.

If you liked 'Olympian', you'll love this! A lot more strings, production, etc. Still, their more 'layered' sound works great here, and the impassioned vocals and deft instrumental work proves 'Gene' is an original band to be taken seriously. Sonically, this is a winner as well... great recording, great mastering! Play this through high-end speakers like Magneplanars or Electrostatics for a spine-tingling sensation!

I just love this band, I got into them right at the beginning and have snapped up everything they have done since. I really think they have something for everyone from rocky smash-the-room-up numbers to beautiful haunting ballads and this album is no exception. Why aren't they more popular? Search me?! Everyone I know who has listen to them has become an addict. BUY THIS NOW!!!!!

Not the best Gene album (that has to be Olympian) but still well worth owning and listening to. There are some truly beautiful songs on this (Where Are They Now?, Save Me, I'm Yours) and also some more powerful stompier ones (Fighting Fit, Voice Of The Father). Excellently produced (some say too well) with a strong strings presence.

If you like Gene buy this too. It will grow on you.

This album really introduces Gene to the world.

It contains classics such as We could be kings, and Speak to me Someone. This album deserves to be part of your collection. It is full of the kind of rocky songs that stick in your mind, and really make you wake up and relise the potential of this band.

Martin Rositer on Lead vocals puts so much Welsh passion into his performance it makes each track stand out on its own merits.

What can I say? If you like rock/indie buy this album now!!!

While the first album wrangled its audience with catchy ditties and potent diction, the second release from the boys of lower London shows a great deal more maturity. More complex themes, better instrumentation, better recording, stronger songs all round! This CD is a must have for the Brit-pop enthusiast, and anyone caught in earshot will sway, nod, and sigh with Rossiter's full-bodied, heart-wrenching, happy-day tunes.

Gene's second album doesn't flow as well as their first, Olympian. It is apparent when comparing the two, that on the most recent release they were working on a much bigger budget. Despite the fact that they could afford violins and cellos this time round, the new album didn't have the feel of the first. If you haven't heard the first album, I suggest you buy it first. 'Drawn to the Deep End' is a great album, don't get me wrong. In comparision to many of the crap bands that are out today this album is genius. But because they are such a great band and are capable of so much more, it was a bit of a let down.