Customer Reviews

Dusk

5 star:		(38)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I'll keep this review plain and simple. Dusk is by far the best CD I heard during the 90's - nothing comes close to that.

You may ask how can I arrive at such a definite conclusion, when in fact we are dealing here with an album not too many people have heard of. The answer is simple: Music is all about stirring our emotions. And if we are to measure albums by their stirring capabilities, then we will end up with Dusk on top. It's as simple as that.

Raved by fans. Hailed by critics. Ignored by radio stations, and unknown to the MTV set. Sounds like a good album already. If you haven't heard it, you should. Dusk is one of the greatest albums of the 90's, just ask anyone who owns it. I bought it in 1993 along with many others I've since traded in or forgotten about but Dusk hasn't gone one month without a spin on my stereo. I had to replace my copy from over-use.

Love, Lust, desire, desparation, alientation, emotional pain, loss, it's all here. This is Matt Johnson's best The The album. Musically and lyrically, the songs will resonate in your head. I bought it years ago when it first came out and I still listen to is frequently today. As someone who owns close to a 1,000 CD's now that's a pretty good record. This is the type of record you want to listen to the entire thing as the songs run very well together. Dogs of Lust and Love is Stronger than Death had great single potential as they did get some MTV/radio play but you really want to hear them in the context of the overall album which leaves you with a remarkable impression after you've listened too it. Johnson's lyrics can really get deep into your own self and maybe trigger a little introspection. One of the better albums I've heard that really explore's the human condition. God's knows the world could use a little more self exploration these days. But like Matt sings, if you can't change the world, change yourself.

This is quite simply a masterful album that achieves everything you want when you listen to music. The musicianship is superb, of course, because this is The The. The work starts off slowly with acoustic gems that speak of love, death and desire. It gradually builds momentum as it moves thematically in the direction of lust, pain, and "unfulfillment." Like the greatest of blues, The The successfully pulls the great sideshow act for the soul - you are drawn in with mystery and intrigue about the sense of loss and loneliness of everyday existence, and then you leave with a pregnant smile on your face. Somehow through taking the listener on a journey on the spectrum of existentialism, you are turned right around to seeing that there is true joy to be derived.

Guitars, harmonicas, drums, and the funkiest bass on any side of the Mississippi coalesce to fill these songs with alternately haunting and uplifting moods.

His voice is magical, hitting the deepest of tones, then swooping toward the sweetest highs your mind can taste. As if this work didn't accomplish enough, the titles of the songs are brilliant. "Dogs of Lust" "Helpline Operator" and Sodium Light Baby" are true nuggets of creativity that more-than-hint at the solid songs they represent.

Light several candles, enjoy some fine wine, and give yourself to The The. You won't need to look over their shoulder for anything else.

"Dusk" falls right behind "Soul Mining" as The The's greatest achievement. While every lyric Matt Johnson writes is true to life and amazing, this brings out his most darkest and depressing life frustrations, and it really shines.

It's clear Johnson was going through some very hard times in his life when he wrote this music. Love, death, and his continuing struggle to find his place that we've known since his earlier work. Loss, lust, love, lonliness, and darkness are all many recurring themes in his work, and they ring great in this album with a very underground-rock sound, a hint of jazz, and a melancholy sound that really can't be described.

I will unashamedly admit this is one of the few albums that can bring me to tears by lyrics alone. "True Happiness This Way Lies" and "Bluer Than Midnight" are enough to kill someone. The lyrics "the only true freedom is freedom from the heart's desires" and "why can't love ever touch my heart like fear does?" catch me everytime no matter how often I hear them. Then you have "Love is Stronger Than Death" and "Slow Emotion Replay", which have great music and equally thought-provoking lyrics. "Dogs of Lust" and "Sodium Light Baby" being the only true upbeat songs on the album which counterbalance the rest perfectly. "This is the Night" and "Helpline Operator" tell fascinating stories which probably ring out of Johnson's life as well but are told very interestingly. We have "Lung Shadows"...oh, boy. Some of the darkest music truely ever made. An instrumental masterpiece. It all comes together with "Lonely Planet", a song that I don't care for as much for seeming a little cheesy-inspirational "We are the World" kinda thing, but nonetheless still have Matt Johnson's poetic charm that can't be ignored.

This is the album when you have seen the dark side of love, life, and everything in between. When you think you've hit rock bottom, listen to this piece of work and know that somewhere out there, many people including Matt Johnson, and myself, know exactly what the feelings are like.

"Dusk" is an album that could be considered "fully realized". It is a complete musical atmosphere that forms and binds together from track to track perfectly. Anyone who has spent a moment alone at night in a city will immediately relate to this album on an emotional level. From start to finish, "Dusk" is at once a sorrowful, teeth-gnashing unapologetic lament about lust, seduction, additions, guilt and abuse. Yet it is also an album about hope and promise and wishes. The conflict of vice and virtue, all played out under the dark, rainy canopy of the city streets and the stranger's whispers.

The combination of Matt Johnson's lyrics and craving vocals, and Johnny Marr's atmospheric guitar that drifts in and out of the songs like cigarette smoke, or dominates them like a racing heart beat, comes together beautifully to create an album that stands just as strong, fresh and emotionally powerful, as it did in 1992.

If you don't own this album, by all means make it your next choice.

Out of all the The The albums I own (and I have all of them except "Burning Blue Soul"), this has got to be my favorite! This is definitely Matt Johnson's magnus opus! Having Johnny Marr on the guitar for another album didn't hurt, either. This album is probably the best produced The The album. Matt Johnson definitely had lust on the brain--moreso than previous albums--especially on the song "Lung Shadows". You have to turn the volume WAY UP to hear some "interesting" voices in the background. This album is, in my opinion, the best one of them all. Pick it up--immediately!! You won't regret it!

This is The The's best work, in my opinion. Dogs of Lust, Love is Stronger Than Death, and Helpline Operator are my favorites. Matt Johnson's wonderfully haunting voice, mixed with the harmonica riffs and sexy elextric guitar make for perfect listening pleasure. This is one piece of work that you won't get enough of. Absolutely love it.

To hear The The twice is to love The The forever! You will put this on, friends will raise an eyebrow and you won't care! Dusk is great for a rainy night, feeling introspective or just quiet time by yourself. I also love it on long road trips. Matt Johnson is a talent too long overlooked or unknown by most. Maybe the M&M's commercial will bring him a whole new audience.
Personally, Love is Stronger Than Death is my favorite welcome to the Springtime song.

This is one that you'll continue to grab over and over and listen to. Easily one of the best rock albums of the '90s.