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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
More Rocking Than Expected, But Excellent Nonetheless, February 10, 2003
I became a big Julia Darling fan a few years ago, when I discovered her first release, "Figure 8", through an "other albums" link here at Amazon.com.Like "Figure 8", Julia's new self-titled release is filled with emotional, introspective, beautiful music. You can imagine most of the tracks performed acoustically (you can catch Julia in many New York clubs performing year-round -- I haven't yet, but one day...). Her second album surprisingly rocks more than I expected it to, but it is very good, and gets better with each listen -- That's a key point about Julia's music -- it grows on you, like most music worth experiencing over and over. Not sure where Julia Darling lives these days, but since she makes so many appearances in New York, it may be there. Much of the album was recorded in Brooklyn, where I lived most of my life, and much was recorded in NYC, but she is actually a native of New Zealand (don't know why I thought that relevant -- maybe because I've been so hooked on LOTR these days ;) Ok, I may as well write song by song comments: 1 - Let's Do It Again - Great drum beats to this opening rocker, and was the first song I heard from the album. I was a bit thrown by it, especially since I expected a more acoustic album (not too sure why). 2 - Blue - My favorite on the album, and if she does get the airplay she deserves, I'd love this to be the one that gets her noticed. 3 - Supernatural - Starts off very pretty (and one of a few songs which lead me to believe she now lives in NY -- I took the train she mentions for many years), and builds up wonderfully. 4 - Like Water Like Rain - Another rocker, and one of the songs which make surprising and terrific use of horns. 5 - By Your Side - The odd time signature threw me the first few listens. The horns have a very Beatlesque feel to it, and following it is... 6 - Lonely Generation - Definitely a very Beatlesque song, but still very Julia Darling. I could absolutely see this being an anthematic singalong concert song -- who knows, maybe it already is. I have to go see her one day. 7 - Wake Up - My second favorite song on the album, this is a wonderful little as-a-matter-of-fact statement by Julia. It's so very pretty, and makes great use of the Shonehut Piano, arpeggiator, and location noise, as Julia told me when she was nice enough to reply to an e-mail I sent her. Yes, she is very responsive to fans' questions, as I learned a few years back when she had a message forum. 8 - Photographs - This acoustic song would fit right in on her debut (also highly recommended). Don't get me wrong -- she had a few rockers on that album, also. 9 - Drunken Liar - What a cool song. It's a rocker, and one of my favorites. 10 - End Of The World - Another rocker, but is pretty dark, and seems to reflect a frustrated feeling she may have felt after some shows. 11 - Untitled #1 - Not sure if she means she's planning more untitled tracks, or is she hoping to get that chance? This is a rather sad closing, and I think it reflects Julia's concern that she may not reach the heights she may have hoped to, and that she'll always have this small group of followers. I hope this isn't the case, because she deserves to be heard in wider circles than she has so far. This album is a grower, so give it a chance. I give it 4 stars today, but it's still growing on me.
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by Julia Darling 
