Customer Reviews

End of Love

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

 

 

Ghost of Fashion was recommended to me by someone who knows how I love violins! I downloaded most of the songs from it, burnt them, and happily carried them around for ages before I got the brilliant idea to explore more Clem Snide. Man! All I can say is what *took* me so long!? But this cd in particular makes me so happy! I can add it to the handful of discs that I look forward to every song on. Nope--no song skipping here, although I do have my favorites.

Lyrically--it's good. Not as much obscureness as Ghost of Fashion, but still a few odd moments. A couple spots are a bit contrived, but nothing that makes your teeth hurt. All forgivable in the big picture. Perhaps the most manipulative moment is in "Made for TV Movie", which is almost an intentional tear-jerker referencing Lucille Ball (how cool is that?). A child sings the "La la la la's" along with Eef, and you gotta wonder if your heartstrings were mistakenly plucked in place of the guitar strings for a minute there. But somehow, it works. It's a pleasure you might not want to share with your more cynical mates.

Musically, it's innovative and solid. This "Alt Country" movement is the antidote to Guitar-Bass-Drum for me. And I loove guitar. But sometimes it just needs freshening with banjo, violin, vibraphone, saxophone, and definitely--trombone! The instrumentation is fresh and optimistic.

The songs range from the out-and-out funny of the boot-scooting, rollicking "pub hit", "Weird"; to the more polished, pop, and infectious "Fill Me With Your Light". (You can see the video for this if you visit the Clem Snide website.)

So, my fave three, in no particular order:

FUNNY: The "Latin-esque" "Something Beautiful". Never. Ever. Has another song done so much toward making being passive-aggressive this much fun!

MELANCHOLY: I've heard "Collapse" is about the death of Eef's mother, but don't know any details or for sure. The components of a disaster however, are definitely woven throughout lyrically. The banjo winding throughout, the imagery (can we have another word for this, please?) eg. "a grass roots initiative based upon sharing and trust...went into production to harness the power of dust...", the plaintive vocal ... a sad beauty.

SUNNY: I'm completely in love with "When We Become" with its strings, lilting keys ... that poignant violin solo that with its optimistic warmth reminds me of the Leonard Cohen lyric "...the sun pours down like honey..." I really feel that rich golden sun in this song. It is just one of those uplifting beautiful numbers -- and hey!-- it takes a lot to get me out of my preference for dark and emotionally painful! Congratulations Clem Snide for doing that! I'm going to get some more!

While it was evident in Soft Spot that Eef Barzelay found something in his life that he was desperately missing while he was writing Clem Snide's first three albums, it was also fairly clear that a lot of intensity and drama wasn't present. Plain and simply put, it was the `happy album.' And as anybody that's ever listened to Clem Snide knows, you didn't buy Soft Spot because you were expecting three or four of the songs to be sub-three minute filler.

That is exactly the reason why listening to End of Love provided a sigh of relief-at least a slight one-that helped us realize if we can't ever get back to You Were a Diamond or Your Favorite Music, we at least have something worth our time as far as Clem Snide is concerned.

Granted we don't hear the harmonizing of Jason Glasser's cello and violin or the trademark three-four waltz time of so many of our Clem Snide favorites. But Eef has put together a worthy mixture of emotions, songwriting, and his left-handed lyrics that can have you laughing before you're done wiping away your "poignant tear."

There are a few tracks that echo past Clem Snide songs, including "Jews for Jesus Blues" and the melancholy "Made for TV Movie," but a lot combines new with the old, which is exactly what makes this album unique and acceptable. "When We Become" is possibly the most beautiful song written in the past year and a half.

Oh, and I heard some banjo in a track. And who doesn't like banjo?

Nothing groundbreaking on album number 5, and that's a beautiful thing, because if it's one thing we rely upon with Eef, it's his absolute sincerity, deadpan surrealism and steadfast belief. The dichotomy of Brooklyn and Nashville, where he was rooted and sojourned to, trickles in and out of his lyrics, as does loss [he lost his mother this past year, as did his wife], confusion, awareness, and inevitably, love. It's a rock n' stroll by the deftest songwriter since Randy Newman. Words to live by: `Now that I'm found I miss being lost'. My grade: A-

I first became aware of this band during their tour opening for Ben Folds, and subsequently purchased 2001's 'The Ghost Of Fasion,' which quickly became one of my favorite releases of the time. As with many fans, I was a bit disappointed with 'Soft Spot' upon it's release, but I'm happy to say they've bounced back quite nicely with 'End Of Love.'

This is an ideal starting point for potential fans, as it combines most of Clem Snide's best qualities into what I would call, if not their best, certainly their most accessible album. The title track, "Fill Me With Your Light," "Something Beautiful," "Made For TV Movie," and "Jews For Jesus Blues" are among the band's best songs ever, and the arrangements and production are wonderful throughout. There are usually a few songs I prefer to skip on Clem Snide albums, but 'End Of Love' is really very solid all the way through. In this regard, I will only say that I think most of the best material comes on the second half of the album.

Overall, a great return to form for Clem Snide! This will likely be one of my favorite releases this year.

this is my favorite album so far this year.

clem snide is one of those bands you happen across and feel left out. they have a bunch of albums already, and a string of tear-inducing tunes like "i love the unknown" and bit tv hit
"moment in the sun." songs that hold a special place in my heart. the other stuff has always been a good source of humor and sincerity in my music collection that's mostly more aggresive stuff.

this album however just holds together like nothing before it. it combines the puns, the sad parts, the poignancy, and the country influence scattered throughout their previous catalogue and throws it all together on this release to create the album they'll probably be remembered for (if they're remembered for anything).

jews for jesus blues will be a classic. it's the perfect clem snide tune. sad, but funny with a trace of cynicism. same goes for made for tv movie.

The wrong CD was sent without any information on how to return it. When I sent an email asking for information on how to process a return I received on response.

Clem Snide's "End of Love" evokes as many adjectives as there are quills on a porcupine, and pretty much all of them will stick. The contrast between Eef Barzelay's almost sad-sack vocals, the underplayed solos, unexpected details in the music, and the "what does that really mean" lyrics makes for a pleasant excursion. Mr. Barzelay tackles darkness and tragedy by shining a light or whispering away the pain.

This recording feels a bit like country rock strained through urban observations about the human condition, replete with irony, wit, and humor. In short, "End of Love" is the right kind of music to play on a Monday morning commute, when your head is jumbled and your thoughts displaced.

Every artist changes, this I know. But in my mind, Clem Snide has been in a slow decline since The Ghost of Fashion, which continues with this album. The beautifully simple emotion that was felt so strongly on tracks like "Your Night to Shine," "The Dairy Queen," and "Your Favorite Music" just isn't as apparent, lost somewhere in the jumble of a new writing style that Eef Barzelay just hasn't quite figured out yet. Perhaps, as a person, Eef has found a certain happiness that wasn't there before, changing his emotional drive to writing. Time will tell where this transition will take the band.

Either way, the skill is still there, and I'm confident that Clem Snide will return to the consistancy of before, perhaps even at a higher level. Eef's ability to turn a phrase has not left, by any means. Tracks like "End of Love" and "Weird" have strong foundations and wordplay, but just don't seem to know what they are yet, and don't live up to the musical simplicity of their live counterparts.

For a true Clem Snide fan, this album is not to be missed, but it is not their best, not by any means.

I was introduced to Clem Snide through an article in a newspaper in Detroit and thought I'd check them out especially since they mentioned that their name was from a character from Naked Lunch (both the novel and movie are great). I love all their cd's, especially their cover of Beautiful which I play all the time when I need a lift but I really love this cd most of all. It's melancholy and deep and just interesting like all the others. I play it a lot because the lyrics intrigue me and just because it sounds so darn good! If you're a Clem Snide fan, they is a must have.