Customer Reviews

Likes... [Vinyl]

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

 

 

Likes... proves another fine entry into K7's illustrious catalogue. Dani Siciliano's debut establishes her as more than just another downtempo siren: her supple self-penned tunes manage to be rich and experimental, yet still sweetly seductive. Her cover of Cobain's Come As You Are is a revelation. She turns it into a jazz standard. Wish the liner notes weren't written in microscopic print, though. The cover art includes John Patrick McKenzie's text collages. He also inspired the abum title.

Before to start to speak about this CD one important notice :
This is not a easy CD, very different from Herbert and friends!
Here Dani is looking in a very far horizont : sound, voices and some rhythm (not conventional).
The final result it's a different way to make music.
Very clever with a delicius voice she start from ambient to finish into a cool jazz.
But to say wich kind of music it's very hard, but for sure give to me very big emotions...and this in the music of nowdays it's very difficult.
She made a very simple product (start from the cover) and my impression is that she made what she wants...without any obligation ....just sound and voices.
Absolute to high level are : "all thee above" and "extra ordinary" but there are no tracks without identity...a real extraordinary album...a five stars for people that loves pure music

A brave but odd concoction, especially if your ears were prepared for the kind of work she did with Matthew Herbert (e.g. Suddenly). Rarely sensual or catchy or even audible enough to be heard in the local lounge, this album would have to be described alternately as abstract, introspective and minimalist. On the musical side of things, the first listen was interesting enough to make me reach for the jacket notes. But try as I could with a magnifying glass, I wasn't able to read the miniscule credits. Musician "X" gets a generous 4 stars out of five (his/her future may be bright). As for the lyrics, I have as little idea what to say about them as Dani seems to say in them. At best, her spare vocalisations are delivered in impressionistic daubs of random (and surprising pedestrian) phrases that when listened to from a distance might somehow blend into a meaningful work of art. What I really fear is that she has far less depth of mind than taste. Sorry, a nice voice, but too under-utilised and lacklustre to merit anything more than 2 stars.

Interesting tracks: All Thee Above, Same

Duds: Canes and Trains, Walk the Line

Goofy titles: Remember to Forget, She Say Cliché, Dani Siciliano Likes ...

I haven't heard the music that Dani Siciliano recorded with artist Matthew Herbert, so I can't judge this album by her previous work. But, I had to say that I actually liked this album. It's hard to peg what genre this album fits into because Dani borrows from a number of styles - jazz, Independent Dance Music (IDM,) chillout, and elements from electroclash, and even pop to create her own unique flavor of music. Her music is intelligent, cool (as in tone,) low-key, minimialistic(as one reviewer pointed out), and tinged with cynicism. For some reason, Sciliano's style reminds me a little of Laurie Anderson's (of Language is a Virus Fame,) although it isn't as nearly heavy (subject-matter wise) or as experimental as Anderson's stuff. And at other times, Sciliano's voice reminds me a little of Roisin Murphy's (of Moloko fame.)

One of the more interesting songs was her nearly unrecognizable remake of "Come As You Are" by Nirvana. This is the perfect album to chill to, especially if you're feeling a little jaded or cynical. For some reason, oddy enough, I'd think Dani Siciliano's album would probably be perfect music for the cutting-edge show "Nip/Tuck," (fans of the show's cynicism will know exactly what I'm talking about.)

I knew it was only a matter of time before sexy singing siren Dani Siciliano would have her own CD, and the result is "Likes...", a very impressive and ambitious solo effort. Being descibed as soothing, whimsical, hypnotic, trippy and sensual, "Likes..." is...well...downright likeable! Phenom Phenomenon Herbert gives Dani a hand on this one with some remarkable production work reminiscent of his own material on "Around the House," "Bodily Functions," and "Secondhand Sounds." And when his "accidental" sounds mix with the luscious and often tantalizing vocals of Siciliano, you've got a match made in heaven. I won't go into details about each song as some reviewers do--just know that every cut on "Likes..." is a masterpiece in itself...you'll dance...you'll chill...you'll feel sad...you'll feel happy...and you'll feel even a little perplexed after hearing a couple of the songs. Nevertheless, once you've heard "Likes..." a few times you're guaranteed to--well--"Like" it!