End Time

Freakwater | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 7, 1999)
• Original Release Date: September 7, 1999
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Thrill Jockey
• ASIN: B00000JY2G
• In-Print Editions: Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #115,239 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A shock for some ears, but balm for many others, November 2, 2001

By 

dltstl "dltstl" (Oakland, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: End Time (Audio CD)

If the "No Depression" movement got you interested in traditional sounds and you're wondering what else is out there; if you sided with Son Volt over Wilco in the Great Schism; if you understand that some people think 'high lonesome' is code for 'hard on the ears' (but you don't mind); if you used to like real country music but then you grew up and went to art school (OK, maybe that last one isn't fair)... then you may just be a nascent Freakwater fan.

I suppose it's true that they do sometimes miss the note; more often, though, it's just that the note they hit is not the soothing one easy listening pop radio has taught us to expect. I have to laugh when I think about the people who bought this blind on the basis of the recommendation. When that twang and dissonance that is a legitimate part of the traditional country music heritage (ever listen to Bill Monroe?) kicked in, they must have fractured something jumping up to yank this out of the CD player. And this is one of their more accessible albums!

Which is not to suggest that Freakwater is just reguritating musical history. The themes are modern, and generally personal and dark. There's a lot going on here, and it's all worth exploring.

Listen to the previews. Download some of the free songs. Give yourself time to adjust your frame of reference. Then you can really listen and decide if you're interested in what they're putting out. If you're hungry for honest, low-gloss, traditional sounds, there's a good chance you will be.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Take me to the river..., January 23, 2000

By 

"tksc" - See all my reviews

This review is from: End Time (Audio CD)

It's hard being a Freakwater fan. Person A wants to share his/her favorite music with Persons B,C, and D. But Freakwater evokes responses of "What the?..." and "Is this Country?" (add hill-billy accent).

But we carry on, we rare and proud few. We carry on.

I must say that I was surprised by the lushness of this album. I wasn't expecting a full-on production. This came as a pleasant surprise.

And it pleased me greatly that Janet finally gets her equal time, with some of the best songs on the album. And Janet has never sounded more like Emmy Lou, never more graceful.

Catherine is downright haunting in her turn on 'Cloak of Frogs.' It should be subtitled, 'Croak of Frogs,' in honour of her terrific vocal compliment. And 'Raised Skin' may be the most beautiful song ever written for two voices since Mozart.

Finally: it's hard to imagine a Freakwater album without cover art from Catherine. But the photos are really nice.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars These Two Throw Darts, February 21, 2004

By 

Thomas Mulligan (Pound Ridge, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: End Time (Audio CD)

Bean and Irwin are two of the sharpest writers going. On a zany cut like Queen Bee, it's funny rhymes and wordplay: '... way up in a hollow tree, perfect idolatry: little bees on their knees.' On regretful tune like Good for Nothing, it might be a telling image: 'Put the toys back in their boxes. Let me pull the ribbons off them one more time.' I've heard the gripes about their musicianship, they don't have Emmylou's pipes, and so on. For me, they put it across just fine. These songs stick with you.