Customer Reviews

Happy Nowhere

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

 

 

This album will forever remind me of being holed up in my office my senior year of college, writing my thesis. I think I listened to it every single day. It has such a lowdown, mellow feeling... or maybe I enjoy music with a little dark side. Either way, it's a good mix of slow- and fast-tempo songs, heavy on the acoustic guitars. My favorite tracks are "Small Wonders" and "The Prince's Favorite Son."

I bought this CD when it first came out, back in '96, and I don't think a week has gone by since that I haven't played it. It's one of those rareties that you never tire of; the songs are complex enough and different enough from one to the next that I'm always finding something new to love. I happened to catch the band in concert by accident (they were opening for someone else), and I do hope Peter Stuart records a live album someday -- he's even better in front of an audience than he is on this disc.

Peter Stuart, Dog's Eye View's singer/songwriter, draws from his personal life to write some of the most compelling, introspective lyrics in recent memory. The hit single, "Everything Falls Apart," for instance, discusses our unnecessary penchant for destroying the important things in our lives only to put them back together again. The music is upbeat and peppy, belying the song's desperate notion.

An album full of great insight and sing-along melodies, Happy Nowhere is a stellar CD that will appeal to anyone who loves Jackson Browne, the Scott Thomas Band, Bob Dylan or Counting Crows.

This album is easier to ignore the first time you listen to it. I've listened to this album countless times, and I'm still struck by how effectively Peter Stuart achieved certain moods.
The biggest weakness with the album is that there isn't as much upbeat rock in it. It's harder to find a clear point to start exploring the album.
But there are some remarkably well done performances here. The opening drum roll on Speed of Silence is beautiful. The atmosphere created in Subject to Change is just amazing.
The writing is generally top-notch. As a performer whose rhythms aren't especially friendly to typical rock musicians, Stuart assembled an excellent crew to put this album together.

I'd suggest it to a certain listener, but it'd have to be someone who likes nicely written songs, rather than someone who looks for an obvious hook.

I'm amazed by the This is not the kind of album that can be done justice by descriptions of its sound or comaprisons to "similar artists" (although the Counting Crows comparison is warranted; Adam Duritz has taken this guy Peter Stuart under his wing - they're "down"). It's simply a perfect album, start to finish. One of the few truly great albums out there on which every song sounds exponentially better in the context of the songs around it. (Okay, so I sometimes skip The Waterline, but that's partly because it skips on my copy). Anyone who isn't moved to tears by this album has obviously never been truly depressed. This is the album any person would hope to create in case they decided to kill themselves.These songs are full of enough anguish, rage, self-pity and cynicism to convince you that God truly hates you. Oh, yes, and then there's "Would You Be Willing", the most perfect and guileless love song ever. If that's not your idea of good music, stick to the Backstreet Boys (then you'll be driven to depression for sure!). But if you enjoy music that can transmute your frustration with your pitiful, meaningless existence into a thing of exquisite beauty, this gem is well worth the twentyfive cent investment. Their other album, Daisiy, as well as Peter's solo album Propeller, are good too, but this is far and away his best work.

I found this C.D at a local bookstore. I heard "Last Letter Home" on the Radio, off of "Daisy." I got "happy nowhere" first though, not knowing what to expect. I have to admit now, Peter Stuart is an amazing songwriter for the time. He has a distinctive voice too that says--"..I feel really good about these songs..." "Haywire", "Would you be Willing" and "The Prince's Favorite Son" are very good. Dog's Eye View is one of my favorite bands to hear now!! I recommend this album to anyone who appreciates well-written songs....

..then this album is well worth the listen! D.E.V. opened for Counting Crows on their US dates, and the mixture of styles would have sounded excellent. The music is laid back, upbeat and acoustic oriented, despite the slightly negative song lyrics. Always leaves you wanting more.

Add it to your collection.

This is one of the must-have albums of the last 10 years, right along side Counting Crows' "August and Everything After," and "Gus."

Lyrically and stylistically, a perfect album.

This is mostly a laid back acoustic sounding album.

The most articulate lyrics are in the mellowest songs. The most enjoyable songs are the one's that rock, like "Everything Falls Apart," and "What I Know Now."

I know people like this, but I can't get into it, and I do like music that is similar to this. There is just something that doesn't grab me, as this kind of music does when others explore similar musical territory.

It might be the suitable soundtrack for some's next morning after.