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17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Finely crafted progressive pop, May 18, 2004
I bought this album years ago, and initially didn't really care for it, mainly because it's so different from their earlier material, and wasn't really what I was into at the time. So, it sat in my CD rack for a long time, and one day recently, I decided to break it out, just to give it another chance. Oh, what a fool I've been. I can't believe I hadn't gotten into this earlier.I've always enjoyed Better Than Ezra for their mighty hook power. "Deluxe" and "Friction Baby" are both excellent and catchy pop rock albums. This album, however, is something else entirely. "How Does Your Garden Grow" sees them moving into more experimental territory. Their great melodies and hooks are still there, but there's also more diversity and eclecticism here as well. All of the songs have their own unique feel, and there's tons of cool stuff going on. One of the biggest attributes to this direction, no doubt, is new drummer Travis McNabb. While the old drummer was quite good, this guy is just in a whole other league. His groove, dexterity, and versatility really fit the music in a way that the old drummer most likely couldn't have. The songs. Oh my, the songs. This could take a while. The album starts with "Je Ne M'en Souviens Pas", which is basically just a groovy drum beat backing some odd samples and distorted vocals. Definitely an indication that this album is something different. "One More Murder" and "Like It Like That" have kind of a funky King Crimson style groove, "Particle" and "Waxing or Waning" have a spacey, Radiohead-ish feel. "Allison Foley" is a swaggering bluesy track, with Kevin doing sort of a Mick Jagger style delivery. "At the Stars" and "Live Again" are pretty much your standard catchy Better Than Ezra songs, with inescapable light-hearted melodies. "Under You" is kind of a soft, melancholy track, that perfectly demonstrates how great of a singer Kevin is. "Pull" is a straight-ahead sleazy hard-rocker, very different from what you'd expect from these guys. "New Kind of Low" starts out heavy, and then drops off into a soft ambient part toward the end. "Beautiful Mistake" is a really odd track, in that it's very soft and lilting, but with a relentless techno-ish drum beat backing it. Very weird, but somehow it works. "Happy Day Mama" is a fun catchy song, and "Everything in 2's" is a great acoustic ballad. Ok, I really didn't intend to go though every song, but I couldn't help it. I really can't believe I've had this album all this time, and am just now realizing how great it is. Makes me wonder what else lurks within my CD collection (hehe). I highly recommend this album to anyone who appreciates creative and original rock that still manages to be catchy and melodic. Trust me, you will love this.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A true album, July 6, 2004
The genius of this album is lost on a lot of people, sadly. It is an album in the true sense of the word. While all the BTE albums are collections of good songs, this is the only one that is more than that. BTE have good rock/pop down to instinct, but this album has a flow. They cover so much ground musically and lyrically it is awe-inspiring. The guitar and keyboard textures are gripping and subtle. It took me many listens to like all these songs, and then many more to discover all of the smaller qualities every one had. The drumming is complex, emotive, and better than on any of their other albums. It plays a key role into the intricate and deep feel of each song. "At the Stars" is a great pop highlight, very much like other Ezra work. It's storytelling lyrics and anthemic chorus are very engaging. "Under You" is a wonderful ballad that flows perfectly with the next song "Live Again". "Happy Day Mama" is a strange song that took me a while to fall in love with, but I have. "Beautiful Mistake" is just simply one of the coolest songs in the world. Lyrically, instrumentally, and vocally it just covers you in its beautiful melancholy. "New Kind of Low" is the hardest song on the album, this song also took quite a while to grasp onto, but once you do you will not look back. From here we flow directly into one of the most impressive soundscapes on the album: "Low/Coma". It has an eerie, haunting, Radiohead-like quality to it and is just another example of this bands' range. The album finishes in fantastic form with "Waxing or Waning" with yet another different sound from the band. Buy this album and listen to it until you get it is my advice to any sincere music lover.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
i like this album, October 24, 2003
i can see why some people may give "HDYGG" some negative reviews, but for any BTE fan, this ranks up w/ the best. the whole albums gives this sleepy quality tone, and addition a happy peppy sound both w/ a sense of relaxation feeling. even the back of the cover suggests this as you see the band just lounging around.there wasn't much pressure to make this cd. they already made it big w/ "fricion, baby" so why not take a risk and do some experimenting. although it may have swayed off a few of the bandwagon fans of the hit tunes of "good", "desperately wanting", and "king of new orleans", "HDYGG" is sort of the turning point on what fans will be loyal, and what fans will eventually fall. i was a loyal fan. my favorite track is "at the stars." this is a melodic masterpiece which is very dreamy. it's a song you can go to sleep w/ and be very content w/ it on repeat. very contagious to listen to. the lyrics are great, the music is fantastic, the soft drums fit perfect. how can you not like this song. "at the stars" gives hope to the doubters, and refreshes that imaginitive spirit inside of you. great song. "je na..." is sort of a strange way to start an album, but it's very hypnotic in a good way. nice little flute sound in it. "one more murder" is a good eerie sounding song. it's a song that is good to listen to at night in like a pub or something like that, just drinking. i dunno why, but it is. the tone is lightened by "like it like that" which is what sounds similar to the songs on the "closer" album. it's a nice little ditty which is relatively short. but it fits in nicely. "allison foley" is a little crazy at first. the song doesn't really pick up until the chorus which is pretty good. very fun to sing to. the tone settles down w/ "under you." it has the same dreamy sound as w/ "at the stars." this is what makes this album so great. very pleasant to listen to, and the lyrics in this song are great as well. "live again" is just a tad more stronger than "under you" but it's awesome that even though it's still a beautiful song, the words make sense if you really listen to them. the move from soft to peppy is again made, "happy day mama" is a fun song. just a great happy, sunny day, wake up in the morning song. nothing bad w/ this song. "pull" is a energetic song. nice 3min aggressive sounding BTE masterpiece. "particle" again slows down things. this rather lenthy song is transitions the change of mood w/ ease. it's got both qualities of the dream theme and happy theme. beautiful. "beautiful mistake" is a deep misty feeling song. sort of dark, but great. "everything in 2's" shows more support on the greatness of this album. very well sung, and nice chorus. "new kind of low" shows more of the energy as shown in "pull" and finishes w/ "coma" which is featured on the same track. coma is the aftermath of "new kind of low." what's interesting about this whole track is that it provides 2 totally different sounds to it which both are displayed throughout the album. the cd ends w/ "waxing or waning" which is a great finish. it is like the end of a long day just waiting to sit down and relax. there is no need for this cd to not be w/ your collection of BTE. any fan definately appreciates the effort put forth into each and every song. the cd itself is wonderfully great if listened to w/o hitting the skip button. something most bands today don't even begin to think about.
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