Happy The Man

The Guggenheim Grotto | Format: MP3 Music

Product Details

• Original Release Date: October 21, 2008
• Label: UFO Music
• Total Length: 39:01
• Genres:
  • Folk
  • Pop
• ASIN: B001HCRJH2
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #110,106 Paid in MP3 Albums (See Top 100 Paid in MP3 Albums)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars +1/2 -- Modern folk-pop explores chasm between desire and fate November 23, 2008

By hyperbolium

Format:MP3 Music

Those of a certain age and musical taste might wonder if this Dublin-based modern folk-pop trio borrowed the title of their sophomore release from the mid-70s American prog-rock group of the same name. And though their time signatures are straightforward and their melodies purely hummable, the lush production and use of synthesizers suggest a sonic link. The title might also have been pinched from an obscure 1972 Genesis single about the simple life of a fool, but most likely it was taken from Goethe, whose quote "Happy the man who early learns the wide chasm that lies between his wishes and his powers," provides an apt description of the album's tug-of-war between the foolishness and futility of desire. Title analysis aside, this follow-up to 2005's ...Waltzing Alone continues to mix vocal harmonies with warm backings that are synthesized out of both acoustic instruments and electronic keyboards. Not as evident this time are the vocal-and-guitar pieces, like "Ozymandias" and "Cold Truth," that brought comparisons to Simon & Garfunkel.

The new arrangements have more studio layers and up-front synthetic touches, bringing to mind the post-Haircut 100 works of Nick Heyward, and Britpop stalwarts like Oasis and Radiohead. There are feints to New Romanticism, but the results are warmer than such synth-inflected ancestors, as production craft is blended with natural vocal harmonies and lyrics that are both introspectively personal and philosophically expansive. The disc's opener, "Fee Da Da Dee," encompasses all this, with lyrics that extrapolate the personal pain of irretrievable love to anguish manifested as a fatalistic lack of control. The song's resignation is both disconcerting and comforting as it suggests that one is no more likely to change the mind of a lost lover than to escape the destiny of time. The noirish dichotomies continue with a heart continually rebroken by the past-tense of happy memories, an opportunity doomed to fail, and an incendiary femme fatale, all shaded by Badfinger-quality melancholy.

Defeat is found in hopeless souls who despair of self-defined failures, bleak visions of the future and uncaring treatment by an ambivalent universe. The last is summed up in the chorus of "Just Not Just" with "Cos not everything you run to wants you / and not everything you love will love you / it's the tragedy of dreamers." A final verdict is rendered by the closing revelation that "Heaven Has a Heart," but it's made of stone. In contrast to the lyrical depression, the songs build beautifully, from a delicate drum machine figure, glockenspiel and pump organ drone into bouncy chamber pop on "Her Beautiful Ideas," and from moody drum-and-bass into synthetic orchestral-pop for the hallucinatory cloud cover of "Sunshine Makes Me High." The album's dark feelings of helplessness take several listens to absorb, but the upbeat musical vibes make them surprisingly easy to swallow. 4-1/2 stars, if allowed fractional ratings. [©2008 hyperbolium dot com]

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Happy With the Men July 21, 2009

By Carrie McAllister

Format:Audio CD

Having been privileged to hear them three times live now, I couldn't be happier with the Guggenheim Grotto. The perfect blend of soulful music and magical lyrics, this duo is perfect anytime. Their sophomore effort seems to bring a little more 'pop' to their tunes than the previous Waltzing Alone, but is still recognizably brilliant. I expect to see them gaining even more popularity with two cd's under their belts and am eagerly awaiting a third. If you haven't already, be sure to check out their two EP's. What Is This Feeling is a wonderful song, especially live with only Mick's ukulele and the boys' voices.

5.0 out of 5 stars venture forth and you will not be disappointed March 16, 2013

By MALLORY J BOYD

Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase

for those that haven't yet experienced Geggenheim, i highly recommend not only opening your minds to the best 21st century group, but also to their best of three CDs. This is simply awesome.