Customer Reviews

Here Be Monsters

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is an excellent debut. Most first offerings are mired in a cloud of one melody or rhythm spread over ten to twelve tracks. Harcourt succeeds in making every song sound different than the one that preceded it, and in doing this he shows his gift.

As a songwriter, Harcourt has a lot to say. These are not your standard songs of teenage angst. He actually seems to poke fun at this trend in "Hanging With the Wrong Crowd," a superb track.

Of course, the fans that critics like to lump together as liking Radiohead, Buckley, fill in a contemporary British band, etc. will probably like this album a lot. The opening track is clearly influenced by 'No Surprises." But what intelligent band or artist isn't conscious of what Radiohead are up to?

The bottom line is that the music is great, the instrumentation is varied, the lyrics are clever, and in Harcourt the States have received another great British artist a year late.

A friend of mine in England was raving about this guy so much last year I bought everything that he has produced thus far.

Before reviewing this album I want to rant a little about the delays in getting good stuff over here in the US when it is available in Europe and elsewhere long before it reaches these shores. With internet radio and good market research it must be within the bounds of the imagination to be able to move artists and material over here a lot sooner. It seems to me that there is more concern about shipping millions of units of J-Lo ( sounds like a Chinese dish doesn't it?) without trying to build up emerging foreign artists.

This album grows on you after several plays. Ed Harcourt uses a wide variety of voice, musical styles and instruments and has a strong lyrical content to his songs. Powerful imagery is evoked and emotions stirred by the songs. I have had this in my car an awful lot since I bought it last year and never tire of it.

Trying to provide a reference point for Harcourt is difficult - I find myself thinking of Martin Stephenson at times, at others, Jackson Browne, often Kevin Coyne although none of them are similar. I think too, of Nick Drake, of Michael Chapman and even Roy Harper.

Ed Harcourt is Ed Harcourt. This is a splendid album and deserves to be in everyone's library.

Thank you Mike Kirby for introducing me to this artist. You always did have excellent taste.

This has to be one of the most engaging LP's I've listened to this year. I heard it playing at a small record store in Madison, WI, and had to have it immediately.

From the first notes, these mouth-watering slabs of pure indie-pop reach out and weave their way into your soul. I'm not sure where Ed has been all these years, but he was worth the wait. And I thought nothing could hold a candle to Pete Yorn!

"She Fell Into My Arms" ranks right up there with anything in recent memory, and immediately following is "Those Crimson Tears," a song that makes you want to cry a few of your own.

This album is going into my top 10 for 2002!!

The understated tones of Ed Harcourt truly shine on this perfectly pieced album. With a mix of up-beat melodies and heartfelt ballads it confirms the reasons behind his Mercury Music Prize nomination but gives no answers to why the man didn't win hands down. With infectious tracks such as God Protect your soul, Apple Of My Eye and Hanging With The Wrong Crowd which shy away from typical alternative music backing, he creates a new music genre that some, on first viewing, may naively mistake as pop. But don't be fooled, this album is one that deserves a second glance and only then will Mr.Harcourt's vocal and instrumental talent glow and leave you pondering why he isn't up there with the likes of Badly Drawn Boy and Turin Brakes, but maybe that's what gives 'Here Be Monsters' the x-factor which many critically acclaimed musicians strive for.
As cliched as it may measure, Ed Harcourt doesn't put a foot wrong on this disc. But if I had to highlight a negative point it would but that of the contagious nature of his album, after looping it on your CD player its almost certain you'll find yourself humming his contaminating sounds when you'd least expect it.

"Here Be Monsters" is an amazing mixture of the best music genres that give birth to a unique style. He uses sorts of vocal jazz ("those crimson tears"), easy listening ("like only lovers can", "Wind Through The Trees"), pop ("She Fell Into My Arms"), folk ("Something in my eye") and proper rock n roll ("Shanghai", "Apple of My Eye") to create a style of his own. He achieves creating his own musical atmosphere on every song especially on "Beneath The Heart Of Darkness". Ed performs every song with soul and honesty. Not only he shows that he is a great singer-songwriter but also a great instrumentalist. His lyrics deliver the goods and don't go round in circles. What I like the most is his honesty as an artist, the kind of honesty that is missing from lots of todays music. Lyrics like 'I need to build a wall around me' on "God Protect Your Soul" 'that's the way I am made I'm afraid' on "Those Crimson Tears" and 'I've reached a low don't you know?' on "Apple of my eye" show the blossoming of a great artist (a musical genius). There are no fillers in this record. I recommend this record to anyone who enjoys good music. Congratulations on doing an excellent record Mr. Harcourt and I hope you do many more. Thanks for showing that artists are humans. I thought I was crazy but "Here Be Monsters" showed me that is ok to 'fall on your knees and beg like a dog'. "Apple Of My Eye" is simply one of the best songs ever written. Amazing, words aren't enough to describe it.

Harcourt fits very nicely into the Bacharachian (like Bacchanalian?) singer-songwriters - those who know how to use trumpet flourishes, glockenspiel and tack piano refrains, and harmony vocals correctly. Though well-received in Europe and a Mercury Music Prize nominee, Harcourt seems to have had difficulty breaking through in America with little critical acclaim and hasn't amassed anything more than a cult audience. His opening spot for Neil Finn's club tour this summer should help him out as the two have similar melodic and rhythmic ideas. "Hanging With The Wrong Crowd" could've been written by Finn himself. Fave tracks: "Something In My Eye," "Apple Of My Eye," "Like Only Lovers Can." (originally written May 2002)

An album just dripping with emotion. It's dark and atmoshperic, yet underneath it all is a hope that things will get better. Harcourt's voice is the glue that brings all the songs together. It targets the emotions living inside the song and points them out to the listener whether they realize it or not. The best thing about the arrangements is the trumpet in almost all the songs. It's shocking to hear in this era of music when everything is muddled with over-production.

Ed Harcourt is another artist I discovered on a compilation put together by CMJ New Music Monthly that I fell in love with. "Something In My Eye" was the song included on CMJ's latest compilation cd. His smokey voice just almost made me swoon. He reminded me a bit of Leonard Cohen and lyrically he reminded me a bit of Rufus Wainwright. Considering how much I liked "Something In My Eye", I immediately acquired Ed's US debut album "Here Be Monsters". I will admit that the album didn't really sink in on the first listen but after the second spin in my cd player, the album has really grown on me. If the band Cousteau was really a solo artist, I think Ed Harcourt would fit the bill. The music on this album has that same torchy influences that I hear on Cousteau's debut album. Ed's music is something you would want to listen to after a night out on the town. "Here Be Monsters" is a gorgeous collection of pop/folk/rock that could easily melt butter without trying. "Those Crimson Tears" is a stunning piano ballad that I can imagine listening to in a bar drinking a martini. Of course "Something In My Eye", one of my personal favorite tracks on the album. If there was ever a male equivalent to my favorite indie pop band Saint Etienne I would have to say that Ed Harcourt is their male equivalent although his music is more folksy but with hints of Saint Etienne's brand of indie pop. Lyrically, Ed's music has that wistful, playful feel that I have come to expect in Saint Etienne's music so the comparison is rightfully so. "Here Be Monsters" is an excellent addition to anyone's cd collection if you are looking for something that isn't a 19 year old female pop singer.

The first c.d. proper from the much hyped multi-instrumentalist Ed Harcourt shows signs of a very promising future.This is a vast improvement on last years mini album Mapplewood as the song-writing is full of ambitious arrangements.The versatility shown on this c.d. is also excellent.You can hear elements of Jeff Buckley,Elliot Smith and Tom Waits in many of the songs.

This isn't just another gentle acoustic album as I'd sort of expected.I mean it isn't just one man and his guitar.Harcourt is credited with playing everything from guitars to piano,wurlitzer,organ and even sax.There's also plenty of full brass and string sections also.The music ranges from the melancholy like the beautiful Those Crimson Tears with it's piano and simple cello backing a voice so smooth but is filled with sorrow.There are quite a few very up-beat numbers such as 'Shanghai' which sees Harcourts vocals sounding full of fun and mischief.Songs like 'God protect Your Soul' are very reminiscent of Jeff Buckley without the falsetto.Piano and a shimmering drum machine added to drums,guitar and a full blown brass section which explodes around the chorus.Some of the songs have simpler arrangements like 'Hanging With Wrong Crowd' which is a simple 4 minute almost pop song driven by acoustic guitar.Track 7 'Beneath The heart of Darkness' is quite an epic,slow and laid back 7 minute song.Harcourt gives us the full range on this excellent song-piano and bass dominate the song-yet all the time trumpets and strings drift in and out to give this song a really atmostpheric feel.Then suddenly the sound takes you by surprise when loud,heavy distorted guitars create a sonic blur.

Like many of the songs on this c.d. it's a song that is written by an ambitious and very creative artist.It's music of the highest quality and Harcourt is certainly an artist worth keeping an eye on.Not a truly great album,he may yet record one,but a very good debut.

I first found out about Ed Harcourt when I read a review in some magazine. It made an impression and I looked for the album but couldn't find it in retail stores. I forgot about it. A year later a friend sent me a CD-R that he said I had to hear. The name rang a bell and so did the title. I really, really liked it. It combined elements of prog, alternative and a unique soup that had its own taste. It was "Here Be Monsters" by Ed Harcourt.

Harcourt's rich melodies and unusual arrangements make this album a unique experience. While it doesn't sound like anything by Brian Eno, it sounds like something Eno might have done if he had thought of it. Harcourt's whisper of a baritone voice with hints of the smokey qualities of Chris Rea immediately draw you into the melodies and the lyrics he's singing. The music is deceptive on the surface; many of the songs are as calm as a pool of water on a still, winter day while others have the undercurrent of a raging river.

I purchased this album and the follow up. It's no wonder he was nominated for the Mercury prize. He didn't win which is a crime but, unlike many of those artists that win Grammys as "best new artist" that disappear within weeks of winning, Harcourt's music will continue to improve and make an impression even if its on a small hardcore group of fans. I can't describe Harcourt's music any better so listen to the clips to get an idea of what you'll be missing before you forget.