Customer Reviews

Lovesongs for Underdogs

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A fantastic album -- Tanya seems much more free to express her own style now that she's on her own (not part of Belly, Throwing Muses, etc.). This is a somewhat more low-key Tanya than we saw before, but there is still that electric guitar, rock sound going on. And as expected, the real magic is in the lyrics. My personal favorite is "Mysteries of the Unexplained," a breathtaking vision which addresses the question, "what is beauty?" and gives a very satisfying answer.

I GOT IT MADE... Tanya on her own is a pretty picture. But the album still feels like it lacks something. Where her music felt more complete with Belly, this leaves a little something to be desired. The songs here are all complete, and Donelly even took some singing lessons to enhance her vocal abilities here. But this does not quite live up to her full potential. This album, though, is still fulfilling and satisfying. Donelly's lyrics are more emotional, more confrontational, and she has begun to mature into her own voice. The first four tracks are delightful, especially "Mysteries of the Unknown". "Acrobat" is a surprisingly but modestly understated gem. "Breathe Around You" is a rather sexy turn for Donelly... while the final two tracks "Manna" and "Swoon" are the best on this album. It continues to be an interesting journey to follow Donelly's career in all its various incarnations. Very satisfying, and you won't regret investing time or energy on this album... despite its minor flaws and lack of cohesion.

Excellent debut solo album from the founder of Throwing Muses, Breeders and Belly, and a singer whose voice alone is always worth the purchase price. Marriage (to Juliana Hatfield Three bassist Dean Fisher) may have softened the spike of some of Donelly's tunes - the chorus of Mysteries of the Unexplained is a gorgeous string-swelling thing - but the lyrics are as neurotic and oblique as ever. The rejection and obsession chronicled in singles Bum and Pretty Deep are a constant theme, laid bare in the claustrophobic Breathe Around You's dissection of a suffocating relationship. Various Pixies, Muses and Sebadoh types contribute to the growling riffs and crunching drive of Bright Light and Landspeed Song - guitar pop as it was meant to be played: loud 'n' dirty - while the tumbling acoustic thrills of Goat Girl usher in the windswept Manna, a worthy successor to Stay and Judas My Heart in the ballad-so-big-it-hurts stakes. With songs as good as this on their side, no wonder everyone loves an underdog.

After playing for ten years in other people's bands , Tanya Donelly has finally deceided to go solo in 1997 and while many thought she wouldn't be able to deliver on her own , her debut album " Lovesongs for underdogs " came to prove them wrong . First of all it is obvious that the Donelly of this record is definetely different from the Donelly who led Belly to the top of the alternative single charts catalogue some years ago . The production is more professional and the whole music texture more carefully made than before . Star had this ethereal schizophrenia in it's sound while King was a more stiff , contradictory pop record . So where exactly does she stand now?

Well , from the first track " Pretty Deep " you can easily tell that this is first-class stuff . Same goes for the second one , " The Bright Light " which was also released as a cd-single. It's obvious that she is more certain of herself than ever . Even on poisonous rock tunes like " Breathe Around You " and " Lantern " she sends out a confidence which is hard to ignore . The risk she seems to be taking is to try to make her own private universe a part of the mainstream rock culture .

For the first time the lyrics are being overshadowed by the dynamic of the music . In the past , the macabre themes of Star served the twsted fairytale-like atmosphere of Belly's debut yet King's lyrics were more abstract and confusing to most people . Even then though , Donelly had something specific to say . You just had to do your research first . " Super Connected " for example was mocking rock stars for acting like Gods . On the video clip we find the rest of the band turning Donelly into some kind of Frankestein-like flying idol while she's singing " are the heartstrings connected to the poison coming out of your mouth ?... " ( " We just play music . It's not like we've cured cancer or anything... " she once said in an interview ) Knowing all that , these lines and these images take a whole different meaning . " Lovesongs..." now contains a number of riddles and metaphors which , while they don't feel like anything deeply profound , dont have trouble convicing for their honesty . Lines like " come on what's your name ? / i've got a good game " simply point out the strange charms of Donelly's voice and music . They express a feeling yet not tell a specific story .

Highlights of the album include " Swoon " , one of the most touching ballads she ever wrote and ofcourse " Bum " whose japanese-like fierce sweetness is impossible to resist . The only tracks which don't make it are " Manna " , " Clipped " and " Mysteries..." , not that there's anything wrong with them yet ( especially on the bright and harmless refrains ) they are not what one would expect from an artist which knows so well how to flirt with the listener's dark side .

As a singer-songwritter Donelly has always been enigmatic . It would be fair thogh to say that she sounds truly excited on " Lovesongs..." but not as safe in her own skin as she sounds on her latest offering " Beauttysleep " . Even so , this is one criminally overlooked rock album which contains many top tunes for all music lovers to cherish .

Belly is one of my favorite bands, so naturally, this album intruiged me. What puzzles me about most of the reviews I've read is their failure to mention the dual coup d'etat of the album; manna and swoon. These form a kinetic structure akin to what we saw on Star with Untogether and Star, and what we saw on King with Red & Silverfish. With the added spiking of the thoughtful Mysteries of the unexplained, you have a strong, enjoyable album. It's not an album to have on as you wash the dishes or vacuum the floors, but rather one to pay attention to, to take the time to appreciate its subtle nuance and style. Curiously, I found Lantern to be one of the weaker moments on the track, with the exception of the smooth, slow break part in the middle. If you're a Belly fan, you'll probably enjoy this album; just don't expect "Stay" like ephiphanies.

Not having known a LOT of Throwing Muses or Belly in the past, I bought this Tanya Donelly album because I had listened to her music doing my DJ shift at school (specifically I had heard "Lantern"). The creativity of "Lantern" alone (especially the way the song pulls you in) makes this album worth it, but if you want the softer side of Tanya, you'll find it in the almost Sinead O'Connor/Juliana Hatfield-like song "Manna" and if you're looking for Tanya's anger, "Breathe Around You" is pretty brutal. This album is a strong collection of personal growth and strength. Only now am I beginning to look at her older stuff (involvement with Belly, Throwing Muses, etc.).

I also have loved Belly since Star, and didn't think King sucked like a lot of people(although star was better). Tanya is extremely talented, and i like her a lot more than throwing muses. She has a voice so unique its style can't be duplicated. Every song on this album is a winner, and the set is so varied, that you get it all: perfectly crafted pop, sad, slow acoustics, and rocking guitar numbers, as well as amazing, dramatic ballads, that are like works of art. I love "Landspeed Song", "Acrobat", "Breathe Around You", and "Goat Girl". I had the benefit of seeing her perform live at the Westbeth Theatre in NYC, and she did all these songs and then some. She's such a little thing with such a powerful voice, and i was one among many devoted fans there screaming, "We love you Tanya!!"-and i also sang along with every word, as i can't help but do every time i listen to this album-it is a well-rounded pop masterpiece-buy it whether or not you like Belly-Tanya is a talented solo artist, and i hope she never throws in the towel.

I know Tanya Donelly from Belly and I guess when I picked this solo album up I was expecting much the same sound, but she goes for a more mellow approach. Her vocals are good and the alternative-pop songs are catchy. I would recommend this.

This is one of my most satisfying impulse buys ever. I only got around to it this year though I remember reading years ago that it was pretty good and I liked Ms. Donelly's work with Belly. But I was not a really big fan and just never got around to it. Recently I was feeling nostalgic for the music that was fading out of fashion in the beginning of my adolescence but not actually for adolescents. Lovesongs for Underdogs was exactly what I was looking for and then some.

Tanya Donelly has a deceptively sweet little girl voice. Some of her lyrics are whimsically mysterious, you are likely to overlook the power of what she is saying, which is not to be taken lightly. Lovesongs for Underdogs starts with some rockers that are not really a surprise to anyone who is familiar with her previous work in Belly. Pretty Deep rocks while wondering about our fascination with macabre and extremes when our lives are banal and safe. It sets the tone for the first part of the albums where it is hard to determine whether you want the romance or are too disgusted by it ("The Bright Light") the belief and fear that you could do something really amazing. (Landspeed Song). And of course when you don't believe in the security of you world it means that you have been looking out into the world and seeing how incomprehensible it is. "Mysteries of the Unexplained" is where this tone shift comes. After this the songs are no longer about questioning to use other forms of narration. And Ms. Donelly gets to play with her voice imitating bird calls and the hum of the electric guitar. There is out right rocker of impossible love ("Breathe Around You"). There is also a challenge wrapped a the feeling of violation ("Bum")

The weakest song in the collection is "Goat Girl" where the singer contemplates being more "brutish" than the man she did not want desires. It is cutesy and fun but lacks the mystery and challenge of her best work. The Last two songs, "Manna" and "Swoon" fit together beautifully. "Manna" uses the "Now I lay me down to sleep" prayer to jump into a dissolving into the universe fantasy that is inviting as it is unknowable. "Swoon" brings us back to corporeal reality while the singer observes someone who is very angry with her, but this anger only highlights the singers mysterious, and normal strengths. It is one of my favorite album closers.

I really love this album. It's got a really good flow; it's rocking and melancholy. Tanya Donelly has great vocals. I think it's a timeless album and she's a great musician.