Stanley Climbfall [ENHANCED]

Lifehouse

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 13, 2003)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Enhanced
• Label: Dreamworks
• ASIN: B00006JJ1X
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (128 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #23,442 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
When you come up with the most-played radio hit of the year, there is no need to wrack your brains for a follow-up. Lifehouse, who earned such a distinction with 2001's highly addictive "Hanging by a Moment," shrewdly stick to the emotional guitar-rock palette of that breakthrough single for most of their second album. "I wouldn't change a thing," frontman Jason Wade declares on the searing "Spin," and the band follows through on powerful, life-affirming tracks such as "Wash" and "Take Me Away." Produced by Ron Aniello (Days of the New), mixed by Brendan O'Brien (Pearl Jam, U2), and written primarily between tours, this is the kind of ambitious and endearing album that suggests its makers won't settle for anything less than global domination. --Aidin Vazari

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Catchy, thought provoking music, February 9, 2003

By	Doc Stew (Schaumburg, IL) - See all my reviews

I'm not a die hard Lifehouse fanatic, nor am I Christian (what lead singer/songwriter Jason Wade mostly writes about), but I know good music when I hear it. Yes, it's catchy, but it's so much more than that. The lyrics are very emotional and thought provoking - you'll hear a song five times and analyze it differently each time. The lyrics don't have this hit you over the head obvious theme to them - they can kind of be analyzed however you want. This album is exponentially better than No Name Face both lyrically and musically. Sure, maybe the songs aren't as radio friendly as those on No Name Face, but I think that's a good thing because we get much better quality songs here. Give it a listen - if you like emotional music that makes you think, you will not be disappointed.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars you've got the most familiar face, December 6, 2002

By	pezzettino (Quebec, Canada) - See all my reviews

Stanley Climbfall shows more lyrical maturity than Lifehouse's freshman effort, No Name Face, but I must warn you: it took several listens to grow on me. These songs required a few days to breathe before they took on a life of their own, unlike Trying and Sick Cycle Carousel from their first release.

The album opens up with the smash radio single, Spin, a driving alterna-pop tune which eases up on the momentum for a tedious bridge before diving back into the electric guitar hooks that lend this song its edge. This is followed by Wash, a melodically monotonous song heavy on repeating some of the most uncreative lyrics of this record: "you wash over me, you wash over me like rain. you wash over me, you wash over me like sunshine." Luckily for all Lifehouse fans, the album quickly improves.

Wade leads us into Sky is Falling with understated, well-crafted opening lines, and all is well with the world. Anchor turns up the intensity with an electric introduction, easing the listener between melodic channels and an athemic chorus, while the verses of Am I Ever Gonna Find Out stand out as an album highlight. Title track Stanley Climbfall abandons the usual Lifehouse formula to experiment in gently flowing, melancholy leads, a dreamy chorus, and the playful tweaking of "stand, climb, and fall" to bring us the record's protagonist, oddly-named everyman Stanley. Fans in a subdued mood will be hard-pressed to avoid singing along on the "da da das" before Out of Breath returns them to more familiar Lifehouse territory.

Just Another Name is a personal favorite, starting with a kicky rhythm guitar before bringing in the rest of the band on this tribute to the artificiality of the social games of popularity and fame. "Which mask will you wear today?" Wade inquires. "Everybody knows your name, but they don't know whho you are." In the hands of others, this song could become a melancholy rejection of the world, but Lifehouse turns it into an atypical but highly enjoyable up-tempo track.

Take Me Away reintroduces the lush guitar arrangements that have become the band's calling card on the radio circuit, granting die-hard No Name Face fans a breath of their old Lifehouse before the European influences of My Precious and the humdrum verses and uplifting chorus of Empty Space. Space gruadually unwinds the tension before the album's lullabye, The Beginning. Bonus tracks How Long and an acoustic version of Sky Is Falling close out the record.

All in all, Stanley Climbfall is good, well-crafted, and cunningly produced. It isn't another No Name Face, but it wasn't meant to be. It has an artistic vision all its own. Still, the unremarkability of Wash, Empty Space, and certain parts of other tracks bring it down to four stars. Quite the respectable sophomore release.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Would give it 7 stars if possible, January 2, 2003

By	Jason Staroscik (Rock Springs, WY USA) - See all my reviews

I knew it would take a monster effort from Lifehouse to follow up 'No Name Face' so I was a little reluctant to jump right in and buy this one. It didn't take long to realize that 'Stanley Climbfall' is not only better than the band's first release, but it has quickly moved past Creed, Nickelback, and 3 Doors Down to the top of my personal playlist. Every CD that I own has at least one or two tracks that I would consider mediocre at best and skip as I was listening, but not on 'Stanley'. Every track has a unique hook, from the sure-to-be radio hits 'Spin' and 'Out of Breath' to the addicting 'Just Another Name'.

Here's how I rate each song:
1. Spin - 8.5/10
2. Wash - 8.0/10
3. Sky Is Falling - 9.0/10 - Addictive, you will be humming this one all day.
4. Anchor - 8.5/10
5. Am I Ever Gonna Find Out - 9.5/10
6. Stanley Climbfall - 9.0/10 - Slower, great lyrics.
7. Out of Breath - 9.0/10 - Sure radio hit, awesome beat.
8. Just Another Name - 10.0/10 - This one is so different from anything Lifehouse has done, I think you'll either love it or skip it. The guitar-tamborine combo at the start sets the tone before the drum kicks in. It's the best song I've heard from any band in a long long time.
9. Take Me Away - 8.5/10
10. My Precious - 8.0/10
11. Empty Space - 8.0/10
12. The Beginning - 8.5/10 - Very U2 sounding, adds a new dimension to the band.
13. How Long - 8.0/10
14. Sky Is Falling (acoustic) - 9.0/10 - Excellent acoustic version of track 3. Could have been released either way, good decision to release as a bonus track.

If you are a fan of 'No Name Face', you cannot go wrong with 'Stanley Climbfall'.