Customer Reviews

End Time

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

 

 

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.

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.

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.

The Weird Sisters creative duo that is Freakwater hits a home run with this album. While I didn't like everything on the album, it is an incredibly distinct concoction. One of my friends described this as music to hang yourself by. 'Cloak of Frogs' is one of the most haunting and beautiful songs that I have ever heard -- buy the album, if only to hear this one song.

This record is fabulous. Freakwater's lyrics are sensational and extremely evocative. The musicianship is very good as well. Endtime seems to have a 70's country production style that suits it well. By adding percussion the band has upped the ante and set new standards for themselves.

This is an amazing CD. It's hard to believe that Freakwater has recorded 5 major releases with none showing any signs of weakness. Perhaps it is because they don't experiment with other sounds, and stick to the limiting traditional country/blues/bluegrass style. The most adventurous they've gotten has been to add more instruments to End Time, and this is a welcome addition. The string section on "Raised Skin" makes it even more spine-tingling than it would be alone.

Play track 2. If it ain't one of the best songs you've heard in the last ten years, stick with Limp Bizkit. This is a beautiful record.

OK- I read the reviews, heard the hype, bought the disc. I am disappointed, but that's what happens one reads customer reviews written by zealous fans. I also find it hard to grasp the use of the adjectives "compelling" and "masterpiece" by the professional reviewers. I describe their vocals as disjointed, campfire-like, enough to make the lyrics difficult to understand; the songs are mostly plodding, the arrangements simple and sloppy; I really did not hear any relationship between this music and any country or bluegrass traditions, except that the two female singers sing with a twang, and one of them sounds a little like Emmylou Harris' younger, but tone-deaf sister. When these two women sing together, it's just two unrehearsed and off key voices trying to stay on the same line. If I'm wrong about Freakwater, then I'm just used to hearing more professional performers.

These artists are what gives country music a bad name! Their sound is maudlin and overwrought, overdone phoney country - the kind of sound that a couple of city girls trying to ape rustic rural might produce. Puleeeaaassse, go back to the city girls!

I've listened to their other CD's, and saw them in concert, but I think this record is an example of not knowing what to do next. They brought in drums and electric instruments and now play this hybrid blend of jump country wash that sounds rushed and misdirected. Some of the lyrics are still nice, but against the new instrumentation, they seem unconvincing.