Customer Reviews

Residue

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

 

 

"Residue" was plugged by Amazon on a page for something else strange I bought, one of those "you may also like" or "people who bought this CD also bought" ads. I read the description and it sounded interesting, so I bought it on spec. As a famous dead Chicagoan one said, HOLY COW! She is sort of a Laurie Anderson for the 21st Century, only with a classically trained voice. There are elements of rock, minimalism, 50s and 60s electronic music, Broadway, old-fashioned country & western, Wagnerian wailing soprano, religious hymns and chant and, yes, the adored Ms. Anderson herself. It is fascinating to hear her pour out both her gutsy and fragile sides with such novel expression. This is the freshest thing I've heard since I first encountered Michael Gordon. For people who want their ears and brains challenged while having sonic fun at the same time, this disk is a must-buy. Her three earlier CDs, all from the 90s, are available from independent dealers affiliated with Amazon. I await their arrival.

This album has the capability of appealing to fans of pop music as much as lovers of the art-rock avant garde. The lyrics are personal yet accessible. The looping and other means of electronic production do nothing but enhance her musical efforts, not distract from them. With such a tremendous voice, hearing six layers of it at the same time translates to an amazing music exerience. The focus really is on the songs, the electronics are there to enrich the compositional intent. You don't feel like you are in the middle of sampler and drum machine circus. Everything is written and performed by her, frequently many layers at a time. It is hard to pinpoint any one artist that would be comparable to her work. There are however, some tracks that could be compared to the work of others ("Residue" has elements of Bobby McFerrin's "Circlesongs," "Finally Black" has the lyrical stylings of an Afro-Celts tune, and "Stone" seems like a Philip Glass opera gone rock). With one person composing, performing, and producing everything, the result is an album full of well-crafted songs that will impress any listener. I can't speak highly enough about it... BUY IT!

Alright, got the hype on this from AMAZON recommendations. Anyone that is great in the Bay area, right? I don't get it. The voice sounds strong from time to time in the CD but it must be way over my head otherwise. I actually don't like most every cut on the CD. From the reviews it looks like I am way off most other folks, so try the preview first, listen closely. But if you like lovely singers go cautiously here.

Amy X Neuburg is so cool & hip & brilliant! I first found out about her because she performed in an avant-garde classical music festival in NYC, & she stood out to me because her personality is very energetic & her music ideas are so unique. The music on this cd is so intricately, perfectly composed! Her lyrics are always right on in terms of their clever humorous quality AND the sounds of each syllable AND dramatic tension. She really balances everything in the world so well. She did a concert in New Zealand in late 2004, & the review in the newsaper there said that she had apparently gone to the future & taken the future's sounds back to here for her music! She makes music with her voice that I've never heard anything else sound like. & she makes equally brilliant exciting with so much else too!! From static & music to sing while skipping across a bar to a toothbrush & piano, from weird maudlin warbles & mutters to, finally, in harmony with a great whorl of voices, her glistening billowing collected classical voice you could hear over an orchestra (or over a studio full of computers). Monologues, strange telephone calls, meditative monotone chanting, lots of fun. This is one of my favorite CD's! I hope this review has been helpful to you!

I mostly buy modern classical music. I learned about Amy through the Paul Dresher Ensemble site. From my perspective, it doesn't get any better than this. Intelligent, silly words. Great voice that runs the gamut from soprano to more Pop style. I have loved the Siren Circus album for a long time. This is the closest I have found to mining the same territory. I would never have guessed that she would make such fabulous albums based on hearing her in the Robert Ashley stuff. She seems to be taking what Laurie Anderson has done and brought more musicality to it. This is at the top of my musical world.

I was waiting for this album, and I'm not disappointed.

Amy X Neuburg performs solo multi-track musical compositions live using her voice, a looping machine, and a drum-pad controlled synthesizer. Each performance starts from nothing and builds as she layers rhythm and harmony into the loop. Add to this her incredible voice and creativity, and you've got something that must be heard.

The Residue album provides studio recordings of a number of songs as I remember them being performed live. I consider this an important quality of the album because part of a live Amy X experience is the awe that one feels realizing that the complex songs are being created and mixed just as one is listening. That said, I feel that many of the recordings have been enhanced or edited in just a few places, which is only to be expected. This is a studio recording, not a live performance. But most of the time the differences from Amy X's incredible live performances are subtle, and improve the song.

The album includes my favorite Amy X songs: Stone, Every Little Stain (the toothbrush song, listen at the beginning), My God (with its a cappella harmony), Insomniac, Just a Sound, and Life Stepped In.