The Optimist [Import]

Turin Brakes | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 13, 2001)
• Original Release Date: 2001
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: EMI Europe Generic
• ASIN: B0000594XF
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #195,832 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #59 in Music > Indie Music > Alternative Rock > Alternative Folk

Track Listings

1. Feeling Oblivion

2. Underdog (Save Me)

3. Emergency 72

4. Future Boy

5. The Door

6. State Of Things

7. By TV Light

8. Slack

9. Starship

10. The Road

11. Mind Over Money

12. The Optimist

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com's Best of 2001

Although this British duo draws effectively on early-'70s rock--mainly warm SoCal folk pop, à la America, and shimmery-cool British space glam, à la T. Rex--what makes them distinctive are their modern easy grooves and their uneasy emotional nakedness. "I panic at the quiet times, decisions at the door," sighs vocalist-guitarist Ollie Knights in "The Door," but throughout The Optimist, he and coconspirator and slide guitarist Gale Paridjanian resist the alt-rock urge to bury anxiety in walls of noise. Their debut full-length (comprising five tracks from earlier EPs and seven new originals) is rife with subtle, contemplative moments that often turn lyrically dark ("I'm sick and I'm twisted/ Like a Sunday massacre") or get carried away by cresting rhythms, like the post-breakup lament "State of Things" ("You and me used to be on fire/ There ain't no straight lines in this state of things"). Although Turin Brakes can rock when they care to (here most effectively on "Mind over Money"), their strength comes from exploring the tension in life's deceptively calm shadows. --Lisa Gidley

Product Description

Debut album from London duo, who have already sparked a storm of praise in the British music press. Turin Brakes inhabit a space which is entirely their own, fully formed and brutally emotive. A video for 'The Door' directed by Sophie Muller (Coldplay 'Yellow') will be serviced to MTV2 and is included as a bonus on this release. Enhanced CD portion contains video for The Door, viewable on your computer. 12 tracks. 2001 release.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars NO NEED FOR OPTIMISM WITH THIS TALENT, May 23, 2001

By 

Stevie Watts (Nantwich, Cheshire United Kingdom) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Optimist (Audio CD)

I bought this record after catching the band live earlier this year, and marvelling at the rich and deep sound the pair could make without need for electronics. I was expecting an fine album created out of acoustic guitars and an excellent voice. However, i wasn't expecting the sheer brilliance scaled by this record.

From the opening piano chord of Feeling Oblivion, the record contains that most important of ingredients, it really connects with you. In the same way that Jeff Buckley, New Order and Coldplay evoke a feeling of glory and optimism from a melancholy yet uplifting sound, Turin Brakes deliver heartbraking, yet positive songs.

The opening five numbers, must rank as one of the best starts to a guitar bands career in recent times. The magnificient Underdog(save me) which has recently gained plentiful radio exposure in the UK, and is perhaps the finest tune of the album, begs with a future lover to 'Save me from myself, I can't be the only one stuck on the shelf'. In Feeling oblivion, he pleads 'If things get real, promise to take me somewhere else'. However this seemingly helpless longing is served by a fantastic delivery in terms of voice and sublime songwriting mastery.

If you are looking for a record to carry on where Travis and Coldplay have previously stepped, this is the one to buy, and is personally my favourite of the three. To sum up in one sentence, The Optimist LP is a gently earthshattering experience, so kick back, don the headphones and connect with the glorious melancholy.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Understated Beauty, August 23, 2001

By 

R. douglas (AUCKLAND New Zealand) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Optimist (Audio CD)

I have a habit of rabbiting on about music but I'm gonna make an exception here and keep this short and sweet for you guys out there. Basically, The Optimist LP is a stunning debut by a young british duo who really have hit the mark with this album. You can take your Coldplays and your Doves and do with them what you will. Although the aforementioned bands are good at what they do, Turin Brakes are simply great. From the stark opening piano of Feeling Oblivion to the closing bleak tenderness of The Optimist, not a song passes that doesn't leave you with some sense of emotion, be it sadness, warmth, or simple pleasure. The overall production sound on this album is full and glorious, utilising the exceptional talents of both these fine musicians to the utmost. Ollie Knights has been blessed with a voice that can seem searingly honest, tender, passionate, and downright cheeky. His partner in crime, Gale Paridjanian is clearly a talented guitarist who seems to slide effortlessly between...well...slide guitar, simple rhythmic strumming, and scorching solos. Favourite moment? About two minutes fifty into 'The Road' at the bridge when Ollie sings "In the darkness, lets them see all of the people they never knew, and the doorway, falling through puddles and places I've never been" OK so the lyrics aren't Bob Dylan, but check out the singing and harmonies in this song...unbelievable. So I rabbited on...whatcha gonna do...buy this album.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An engaging debut album, May 11, 2001

By 

Erica Anderson (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Optimist (Audio CD)

Curiousity killed this feline after reading a few glowing reviews about this fledgling duo. With bands like Coldplay, Doves, and Travis gaining larger audiences by the minute, Turin Brakes follows right behind in their footprints with their own blend of folk/pop/rock. I like this album a lot. It is more in the vein of Coldplay but better expressed lyrically. The tone of this album is quieter and more subdued, kinda like Badly Drawn Boy's "The Hour of the Bewilderbeast". The other difference between Turin Brakes and Coldplay is lyrically Turin brakes' music is more emotional and tugs at the heartstrings right away, for example "By TV Light". For anyone wanting to hear another song like "Yellow", you won't find it here on "The Optimist LP" or from Turin Brakes. The music is melodic but nothing that commercial radio will appreciate.