Customer Reviews

Taller Children

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Let it be known that I consider myself "old fashioned" when it comes to music. If it wasn't recorded in the 1960s, 70s, or 80s, I typically don't give it the time of day (though there are a few exceptions, such as They Might Be Giants). I'm happy to say that creativity does indeed still exist, as manifested in "Taller Children," the debut album for Elizabeth and the Catapult.

I was introduced to this group via a recent segment on National Public Radio's "All Things Considered." In the segment, NPR's Elizabeth Blair interviewed the band and discussed how the title track was written and recorded. Upon hearing the opening portion of the song, I was instantly floored. The tune was catchy and the lyrics clever. I was instantly tapping my foot along with the beat, and marveled at the unique 13 beat time signature.

After hearing the piece on the radio, I headed directly to Amazon to preview the entire album. It sounded great, so I bought it. Wow! The quality of this album is terrific, wall to wall. Elizabeth Ziman's vocals are incredible, and the music spans a wide range of genres, each an enjoyable listen. My favorites include Taller Children, Rainiest Day of Summer, Race You, and Everybody Knows.

If you're like me and think that most of today's music is over-produced drivel with little to no creativity, you owe it to yourself to check out this album. It's refreshing to finally find something new that's worth listening to!

Taller Children is the debut CD from Elizabeth and the Catapult, and it is a gorgeous collection of pop variety at its best. While the instrumentation is good, what makes the music go is Elizabeth Abby Lynn Zimen's vocals. She calls to mind Sarah McLachlan on some of the slower tracks such as "Apathy" and "Golden Ink". The strings and piano on these tracks also support this comparison. "Right Next To You" has a feel that would be at home on Dido's No Stranger. I love these songs because they really showcase Zimen's voice while supporting it with just the right amount of instrumentation to enhance without overwhelming. Some songs have a more folk/pop sound to them such as "Mama's Boy" and "The Hang Up". Both in style and vocal subject (bad relationships) these songs would be at home on KT Tunstall's Eye To The Telescope. However, lest this be merely a comparison of female singer/songwriters, we get an interesting in "Hit The Wall". After the first verse and chorus, the guitar line that follows sounds like something that would fit nicely on the 80's smash CD from INXS Kick. Rounding things out nicely from a style perspective is "Complementary Me". This track has more of a country/bluegrass feel to it - especially when the hand claps pick up before and through the second verse. One other excellent song that stands on its own is "Rainiest Day Of Summer". In the first verse, Zimen says that she is "feeling melancholy", and the mood of the instruments really draws out that feeling.

Now you might be thinking to yourself, "Wow, this sounds like a mess. It's all over the place." However, Taller Children is held together quite nicely by the constant of Zimen's voice. I'll be interested to see if they take a more focused approach on future CDs, but I also really can't wait to find out. I recommend giving Taller Children a try. I think you'll like what you find.

Download this: Rainiest Day Of Summer

This album is a pop masterpiece. I have to go back to 1967 and Love's FOREVER CHANGES and The Who's THE WHO SELL OUT for anything comparable to this album's wonderful marriage of creativity, melodic brilliance and inspired musicianship. One thing TALLER CHILDREN has on those two glorious releases is Elizabeth Ziman's alternately ethereal and earthy (and always angelic) vocals. Her voice is an extraordinary instrument - dancing from playful verses to positively soaring bridges and choruses. It's a voice tailor-made for lullabies, pressed into the service of majestic pop. Listening to her take off on HIT THE WALL and the epic title track recalls that wonderful place where the Beach Boys recorded GOD ONLY KNOWS and the Kinks recorded WATERLOO SUNSET. Such magical listening experiences are exceptionally rare. This album is bursting with them.

Elizabeth and the Catapult's "Taller Children" album is a breath of fresh air. The talent of this trio shines through on each track--smart lyrics, catchy melodies and musical ability to boot. The transitions within the individual tracks truly show an musical knowledge and inventiveness. Elizabeth brings forth a young and fresh take on pop music, while channeling classic singer/songwriters like Joni Mitchell (especially on "Complimentary Me". My personal favorite track is "Race You", but be warned that the melody will be stuck in your head for days on end upon hearing--fortunately it's a brilliant song that I welcome into my cranium. Great, great live show too...

Love the opening track and title track. The rest of the album delivers as well. Nice variety of songs, showcases range.

There are some sweet gems on "Taller Children." "Momma's Boy" has a pop/jazz feel with the scat sing "go find another." The title track pulses with energy and uses the "f" word to describe Mr. Wall Street Wonder, "You got the kid & the pretty wife; Got the boss & there's your wife." "Hit the Wall" bounces joyfully and then rocks out with a lyric about frustration, "I haven't found my way across this wild terrain; It never stopped me from dreaming." The Catapult's take on Leonard Cohen's "Everybody Knows" bangs out like a headache at a construction site until the lush arrangement gets loose. Perhaps there are a few too many slow tunes like "Rainiest Day of Summer," "Apathy" & the meaningful closer "Just in Time." "Golden Ink" is a softer song where Elizabeth Ziman sounds a bit like Jennifer Warnes to me. "Taller Children" is a strong set with golden moments. Enjoy!

Finding a very cheap copy somewhere, I decided to pick it up. Modern music has been overflowing with female-led pop/rock groups and I figured E&TC would be no different. I was correct in the assumption as they are a shiny little pop group with a knack for creating catchy songs without sounding too familiar to the FM radio crowd.

Other reviewers may make comparisons to Sarah McLachlan, KT Tunstall and even Sara Bareilles (sp?) to a degree, but that would be an insult to the band.

Despite the fact that E&TC could certainly find a home on modern radio due to their straight-forward approach to pop lyricism and tempo, there are shades of Indie goodness all over the album. Tracks like "Right Next To You" and "Rainiest Days of Summer" are so blissed-out that you'd think you're listening to something by Stars or even a B-side of Broken Social Scene. Then there are low points in "Race You" that I'm surprised Apple hasn't jumped on to sell one of their expensive toys with (IF they haven't already!).

Lyrically, if stories could be told throughout the album, I'd sense that Miss Elizabeth has fallen on some hard times in her love life. Terribly cliche and predictable, but she's at least clever with her delivery. "Momma's Boy" can grant a chuckle or two, giving it a much better tone as the music itself needs help.

The album does wander around a bit, helping it to lose true cohesion, but the glue that keeps everything together is the sensibilities of Elizabeth herself. She doesn't experiment much with her voice, thus keeping the album in the realm of pseudo-radio pop, but thanks to the adventurous style of music, it is in the ballpark, but still keeps its eyes set to the Indie experience.

Not a bad album, but hardly worthy of true excellent praise as it's not doing anything new, but it certainly does it pretty. I expected to hear a bunch of wannabe radio singles thrown together haphazardly, but was presented with a nice collection of cute and sometimes tragic ditties of love-gone-awry and hope for the future. (Needs more Indie influence, though...)

I would have to list this as one of my top favorite albums of all time. It's really quite magical what they pull off here. All of the sounds are very well written, and most importantly fun. It's like they've got a childishness to them that is simply refreshing, and not often seen in music today. It makes you want to tap your toe, and a smile will end up on your face. I can't wait to see how good they sound live!

I've been listening to the same groups for years, and rarely hear someone new worth paying attention to. I feel fortunate that I stumbled on Taller Children the week it was the featured album on WXPN in Philly. I bought the album having only heard the title track. Every song is different, every song is great, most could be hits. Elizabeth has a beautiful voice in a class with k.d. lang, Carly Simon, the Indigo Girls, all the greats. The songs are by turns witty, insightful, funny, emotional, fun. The arrangements are creative and different on every tune. You might hear some cuts on a pop station, others on Jonathan Schwartz. Buy it!

I first heard a clip of a song of theirs on So You Think You Can Dance (A cover of "Everybody Knows), and I loved it so much I searched the internet in an attempt to discover the artist. Upon discovering that it was Elizabeth and the Catapult, I set out to see if I liked the rest of their music. And the answer is: yes! I love it! Their sound reminds me of some of the music my parents listened to when I was little, but with a modern twist. The songs put a smile on my face and the quality of Elizabeth's voice is impeccable. I would recommend this CD to anyone who loves fun, quality, and refreshing music. A great and worthwhile buy!