From the Mountain to the Sea

Birdmonster | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 2, 2008)
• Original Release Date: 2008
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Fader Label
• ASIN: B001CR49JS
• Also Available in: Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #396,154 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Birdmonster's Giant Leap Forward, August 5, 2008

By 

James E. Tenuto (San Diego, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: From The Mountain To The Sea (MP3 Download)

Indie rock's legendary, high-energy, live band has delivered an album that can only be described as a "giant leap forward." Birdmonster can still rock out ("The Iditarod" and "New Country"--with a hint of country twang in this cut,) but these guys are also great musicians, and the acoustic elements of this album allow those talents to shine through.

Peter Arcuni's voice is somehow richer, a bit Dylan-esque (sans mumbles), and his lyrics are engaging, interesting and beg comparison to early Jackson Browne songs. Drummer Zach Winter's manic live energy is both evident on some cuts and musically restrained on others.

And who doesn't love the banjo?

Fans of the band's live shows should be eager to see how the material plays and blends with the band's earlier efforts.

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good, November 8, 2010

By 

Nobody (Seattle, Wa) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: From the Mountain to the Sea (Audio CD)

I quite enjoyed this album. I purchased it after viewing a charming video on the wonderful SF Bay music blog thebaybridged. At that point I was under the impression that this would be an indie rock album. It ended up a little more bluesy or alt-country than I expected. There are a few real gems on the album and the rest of the tracks are solid. I recommend this album.

4.0 out of 5 stars Birdmonster - From the Mountain to the Sea, September 5, 2008

By 

S. D. Mason "www.PoliticianRock.blogspot.com" (Greenville, NC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: From the Mountain to the Sea (Audio CD)

From the Mountain to the Sea (2008, Faded Label) Birdmonster's second studio album. ***1/2

Birdmonster make simple, straight-ahead, good and honest alternative folk rock. They don't try to be overly complex and they aren't trying to channel any one specific sound. That might come off as Birdmonster not having a unique voice, because in all honesty, the instrumentation of the album isn't what defines the band in the slightest. It's vocalist Peter Arcuni that makes Birdmonster, and in particular From the Mountain to the Sea, magical. Arcuni sounds like a young Stephen Stills, specifically from his time with Buffalo Springfield (and a cover of "For What It's Worth" wouldn't have been out of line).

"My Love For You" opens things softly and introduces Arcuni near naked, as there's not much instrumentation behind him. "Lost at Sea" comes next, and sets the general attitude of most of the songs, as they tend to be in the vein of up-tempo folk numbers, and "Lost at Sea" is the best of those. But when they mood is more mellow, there are jewels like "Concrete Lights," an acoustic ballad that evolves with an electric guitar. But it is Arcuni's vocals that make the song, which is fairly monotone and only ever seems to go up, never descending as the listener so deperately predicts. It happens again on "The Only One," which features the entire band coming into full swing over time, but its message is simple if not beautiful: "I was young/and you were the only one." And later, "But there was the only truth/Could have been anyone/Just so happened that it was you."

Ear-pleasing to say the least, most of From the Mountain to the Sea is filled with catchy numbers. Arcuni and company would have no trouble going unplugged with these; really, an acoustic guitar and piano might suit most of these tracks better than the full-electric approach they've given it. A never-pretentious, always enjoyable and smooth effort. (My Love For You, Born to Be Your Man, Concrete Lights, The Only One)