Customer Reviews

Enchant

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

When you come across Emilie Autumn fans, you may well find that many are divided. Many love THIS Emilie, the Emilie that they call the "Enchant Era" whilst others enjoy the "Victorindustrual" era. Bear in mind though, that there are not many people that enjoy the latter era and dislike 'Enchant'; it's a completely different type of music, but Emilie back then was still unique and this album provides us with music which is radically different to what she does now, but it's also different compared to anything other artist due to the albums eclectic material.

This album is not pigeonholed for an audience; when the album opens up with 'Prologue: Across The Sky' you will believe that you have stumbled into a fairy wonderland which sounds like a bizarre collaboration between Enigma and Enya but as the album continues you were treated to mild blues/jazz like Second Hand Faith, rocky-pop numbers like 'Chambermaid', pop/techno/violin songs like the catchy 'Juliet' and pretty haunting ballads like 'Epilogue: What If'. I'd say that if you don't like the jazzy sound, you may not like the majority of the album, but there are enough songs on it without the jazz to pull this through for you. The standout songs are 'Across The Sky', 'Chambermaid', 'Rapunzel' and 'What If'.

As to Emilie's performance - it is very different to her later CDs. None of this is rock or industrial really, she sings all the songs straight with her real voice (no growls). As to her violin playing it is highly played down on this album, but is obviously present in songs such as 'What If', 'Juliet' and 'Remember'. A lot of the album is electronic but a piano and violin can be heard pretty much throughout, even if not on the forefront. Unlike other albums, Emilie didn't do this album by herself so it's not purely her production wizardry and strong instrumental playing.

Enchant has reached cult and classic status because there is simply a song on here for everyone but is hard to obtain. It has been more or less impossible to get until August this year when it was released again in a special boxset for a limited amount only (3000 copies). This is the same product, and if you don't snap it up now you won't get the opportunity again for a very long time, possibly never. As it is, the boxset (if you can call it that) is quite pricey and you may not regard it being worth your money, as you can buy the album legally on download through her website for a quarter of the price. The packaging comes as a normal CD sized book with a thin card board sleeve that covers it. Inside you have several pages but there is not much artwork to be seen, and there are zero photos. There is only lyrics written by Emilie's own hand, but it is barely eligible, so if you want the lyrics you will still have to log on the net and find them that way, despite having them in your hand. The CD itself does not have any bonus songs or material. It is exactly as it was in its original release.

The song "Across the Sky" is the original reason I purchased this album, hoping for the rest to be similar. It isn't. However, each song is wonderful and unique, albeit different from the others. Songs like "How Strange" have an almost modern R&B feel, while songs like "Ever" feel more like Fiona Apple. "Save You" is reminiscent of world music, or the New Age Genre, and "If You Feel Better" can best be described by the word "tango." Autumn's style of singing is different, and slightly grating to the untrained ear, but after you've listened to each song a few times, you can't imagine it done any other way. Autumn's talent is apparent from the start. She quotes Shakespearean sonnets, has an incredible talent with the violin and seems quite gifted with the harpsichord. I can't tell you what you like, but I will say that I have never been sorry I purchased this album.

Emilie Autumn is the rarest of great talents. She is a trained musician, a roaming minstrel, and master poet. She is a great find for those who want to listen to pure talent and are tired of what's being pumped out in the music business today. You will never be let down with any EA CD. This one is my favorite.

This re-release of the Enchant album pictures Emilie Autumn's "faerie era", which means "a faerie that sees the dark side, but has a little light, which is something she doesn't have now". That's why you can see a big difference between the musics from Enchant and Opheliac. Both albums are great, but in my opinion, Enchant is the best album Emilie Autumn could ever make. It sounds amazing, her voice is the most beautiful one I've ever heard, and the lyrics, oh, the lyrics tells everything about me.

I received my CD before the deadline, sealed and in perfect codition, which made me happy. The only thing that confused me a bit was that the type of cover is different of many others I've seen. Anyway, the CD is beautiful - both the cover and the songs, and I certainly recommend this seller and this album.

Currently Emilie Autumn's image/music tends towards... well, the best description I can come up with is Tim Burtonesque, industrial-goth-doll. But her debut album had a vastly different flavor -- while it has the same dark edges and spatterings of industrial rock here and there, "Enchant" is a more romantic, Victorian/medieval album.

It opens with an ethereal, twinkly expanse of sound, and Autumn intoning the first four lines from Shakespeare's 53rd sonnet. Then she launches into a starry rendition of her own poetry: "Across the sky/I will come for you/If you ask me to/Demystify/Your uncommon dreams/Stranger things have come true..."

That opening song may give you the impression that Autumn is a sort of Delerium/Enigma artist, but she quickly proves that it's not the case. Instead, she dabbles in a little of everything: hard-rock in "Chambermaid" and the blaring "Heard It All," some spacey jazz in "Second Hand Faith," rambling piano ballads in "Castle Down" and "Ever," dramatic string-soaked ballads in "If You Feel Better" and "Save You." It ends with the satiny "Epilogue: What If," which just reinforces that Autumn is not someone you can pin easy labels on: "What if I'm a snowstorm burning/What if I'm a world unturning/What if I'm an ocean, far too shallow, much too deep?"

Among the best songs are a trio of pop songs which have a sort of medieval/fairy-tale flavor: "Rapunzel" is a bittersweet song about... well, Rapunze; and "Juliet" is an exquisite, glittering swirl about... well, Juliet. And "Rose Red" swings between a spiky pop sound ("Tell me no stories and I'll tell you no lies/No one wants to hurt me/but everybody tries!") and a luscious ye-olde one ("Rose Rose Rose Red/Will I ever see thee wed?/Only if you can capture me").

I probably could have guessed that "Enchant" was Autumn's first album without even checking wikipedia -- it sounds like she was experimenting with different styles and trying to figure out which one fit her best. You can hear some romantic goth, classical, hard-rock, jazz and a bit of Regina Spektor's anti-pop here. But "Enchant's" different styles flow easily into one another.

This is mainly because of Autumn's classical musical skills -- she winds silken strings of piano and violin around almost every song, along with some shimmering keyboard and the occasional blasts of electric guitar. The entire album has a sort of rock'n'roll Victorian-romantic flavor, and quite frankly that combination is something I wish there was more of.

Her voice is also very lovely and versatile: she can sound punky, angelic, or low and powerful. And her lyrics and poems are very evocative and atmospheric ("But would you tear my castle down/Stone by stone/And let the wind run through my windows/'Til there is nothing left but a battered rose"), and tinged with a sense of bittersweet romance.

While it explores various musical styles, "Enchant" has a distinctive flavor that shows off Emilie Autumn's talents -- and leaves you wanting to see whatever else she's produced.

Emilie Autumn shined in this album. From the beautiful dark beats to the enchanting lyrics and chilling vocals to the haunting music of her violin, this is an album to add to your collection. My favorites are definitely Juliet and Rose Red. The booklet actually not only has the lyrics written in her very own (messy) handwriting, it also has a short story in the very beginning, and along with the lyrics for every song, there are what appear to be notes that Miss Autumn wrote about each one.

Overall, it's an amazing album. Definitely worth a listen.

Enchant, a CD comprised of faerie dust and heartbreakingly beautiful violin, begins with the mystical track "Prologue: Across The Sky" and ends with the rebellious yet sweet (and utterly breathtaking) song "Epilogue: What If". From start to finish, Enchant is a record that demonstrates both Emilie Autumn's beyond belief skill in violin and harpsichord and her abilty to - quite literally - Enchant her audience. The musical arrangements and violin solos are accompanied by the harmonious, haunting voice of the prodigy Emilie herself. In the lyrics booklet lies the faerie tale that is the background of the record itself, and is saddening on its own. All in all, Enchant is a wonderful CD, of lilting vocals, strong lyrics, and perfect musical arrangements. Recommended for all music lovers.

The Emilie Autumn in this album seems to be a creation that was made by the companies of the time. She has all the marks of being something that isn't wanting to be herself. She has the identifying label on her saying "I'm a clubber," she has the cute look telling us that she is going to be something a specific audience identifies with, and then we have the female singer aspect. This album is good, though - that's the oddity to it, but the album doesn't seem to be the things that Autumn wants to make. What Autumn wants to bem making is something that sleeps out there within her, something I saw in Marry Him, Thank GodI'm Pretty, and so on. Still, this album does have traces of that person and, honestly, it has the tastes that I will later come to really like.

but it isn't the same artist.

Some people hate this Autumn and some really ID with it - it just depends on what you like. The songs here have a good voice, i cannot argue that, and they have the taste of pop songs. The problem is that they are not unique or complete or the thing I really want to put in my mind and let breed (or fester). It is forgettable.

Should you get it - I'm not the one to say. Listen to this and then listen to the newer Autumn. Then and only then should you choose your season.

One of my favorite musical artists and this collection is amazing!! Every song is great...I listen to this nearly every day!!

There's a lot of lovely singing on this album, but most of the songs aren't very memorable. Enchant lacks the polish of her later album Opheliac, though it's also more relaxed, and far less aggressively stupid. Of the two, I prefer Enchant. But why listen to Emilie Autumn's semi-convincing forays into soulful melisma, when you could hear the real thing from somebody else? Maybe the closest reference point is Fiona Apple--try her album "When the Pawn [etc.]". It's less "Victorian" or whatever than Enchant, but better in almost every way!