Customer Reviews

Villa Elaine

5 star:		(61)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Remy Zero is a brilliant band and Villa Elaine is a brilliant album. I am amazed because these band members are pretty young, but they have amazing talent. It is rare to find quality music these days but Remy Zero are amazing lyricists, writers, and musicians.

Villa Elaine is one of those albums that I have to close my eyes when I listen to it. It just happens. I get caught up in the music and the complexity of it and I tune out the rest of the world. "Gramarye" and "Yellow Light" are excellent driven tracks that in my opinion epitomize the Remy Zero sound. My favorite track on this album is the playful "Goodbye Little World". It is a fun song with a light sound and endearing lyrics.

A guilty pleasure in my mix of cds is Villa Elaine. I sometimes just leave it in hoping I'd never get around to taking it out b/c it's that good. The best Remy Zero album to date.

"Hermes Bird" is a smooth relaxtion trip that fits perfectly at the top spot and the hit "Prophecy" is a welcome delight to your ears. It has a wonderful beat and almost mesmorizing chorus. "Life In the Rain" could very well be the best song by Remy Zero for it's eerily vocals and cool haunting sound. Almost like a floating sensation for 3 and a half minutes. "Hollow" picks up into a circus like anthem for 6 minutes w/ that patented like remy zero sound. A very fun song to put on whenever you need to cheer up is "Problem." Something sinister can be found in "Whither Vulcan" that caresses your ears to the fullest extent. "Gramarye" is a dark song that some may have heard. It's an adventure from start to finish. "Yellow Light" almost seems like a trip into the unknown where "Motorcycle" has a dreamlike quality to its sound. A brilliant song in "Fair" is somewhat depressing at first but sort of brings hope to you. "Goodbye Little World" is almost like a children's book being sung.

This whole album may not be radio friendly, but every song is definately worth listening to. If you believe in real music, get Villa Elaine.

I have heard "Villa Elaine" by Remy Zero and am puzzled as to all of the comparisons to Radiohead. This sentiment never crossed my mind; and I know my rock. These guys are a wonderful blend of U2 and 70's Queen, and mostly the latter. They blend harmonious vocal changes, tempo changes, and bits of psychedelia in songs like Gramarye, Yellow Light, and Motorcycle. These lyrics are intelligible too, unlike 'head's Thom Yorke. I also hear a sort of return to high powered Brit arena rock like the Who and the Kinks: the Tates' vocals are distinct and in your face, all the while being backed by raw, roving guitar rhythms. Songs like Prophecy and Hollow are examples of this exciting retro feel. When this band chooses to be mellow, they might be at their best, too. Life in Rain is one of the most powerful ballads I've heard in quite a long time. Nothing sappy or radio-friendly, just clear and powerful vocals. Hermes Bird is a slower gem, too. It will be interesting too see how far this album gets in popularity. Oasis was hailed as the new Beatles; Blur was the retro Kinks, and I think Remy Zero is the neo-Queen. Them are MIGHTY big shoes to fill, though. I believe I even hear Brian May's guitar sound in Gramarye, certainly no mean feat. I bought this album today, having never heard of the band until hearing Prophecy a few weeks ago. I knew I would buy the CD. I was very surprised at how consistently good this effort is...no filler at all on Villa Elaine. After a few more listens I might even give them the full five star rating. I can't wait.

This album made me want to cry. life in rain is a tear jerker. It's too bad this band broke up. I recomend all of their albums. If you havent had enough after those 3 discs, the two brothers from RZ have put out the first of 3 recordings under the band name Spartan Fidelity. Check it out.

"Villa Elaine" is one of those rare albums that finds the perfect balance between hard and soft rock, not too hard and heavy, but lively enough to appeal to everyone. Everyone is compairing them to Radiohead and U2, and I can easily see how they are similar. What the first five songs on "Villa Elaine" remind me of, especially the vocals, is Jeff Buckley, who produced some of the finest pop melodies of the 90's. As a whole, this sounds like a record the Manic Street Preachers would have been proud to make.

To be truthful, I bought this album without hearing the faintest note of it. They are the support act for the Manic Street Preachers (my favourite band) 1999 North American Tour, so I figured that I should find out who these guys are as well. It was a nice suprise. Every song is a story, equally engrossing and catchy. "Prophecy" is by far my favourite track. A rare pop record that is a cut above the mainstream.

This truly is a beautiful album. I bought the Golden Hum first and then Villa Elaine. I felt that it was inferior to The Golden Hum on first listen but after owning it for a couple of years I listen to it much more often than The Golden Hum. The music is emotional and moving and Cinjun has a great voice. I have yet to purchase Remy Zero's first album but two of my favorite things about Hum and Villa Elaine are Cinjun's voice and the drums. Get this and listen to it a few times---you won't regret it.

This record is an interesting thing. If you read the other reviews on this page you'll notice it seems to polarize people between using words like "beautiful; emotional" and "derivative." In my opinion the truth is somewhere in between. The music itself is powerful, but certainly overproduced. It's filled with guitar swells and tempo-shifting tremolo effects, much like Radiohead's The Bends, but it lacks the feeling of raw invention and sounds more like copycatting (good copycatting, though). The lyrics are a bit nonsenical, but they aren't the focus. The songwriting iteself is a very of-the-times mix of Radiohead and Oasis. They do manage a bunch of good tracks, though, and a few actually do warrant descriptions like 'beautiful': "Life in Rain" and "Fair" both shimmer with acoustic delicacy. The bottom line is that this was easily a 4-5 star record when I was 15, but 7 years on it seems like the full appeal of it got left in the 90s. If you're looking for guitar music in the vein of Radiohead, Kent's Isola (the English language version) is a far better album that's equally accessible...but if you've heard a track or two from Villa Elaine and like the sound, don't hesitate to buy it.

I discovered Remy Zero through the Stigmata soundtrack (which featured the song "Gramarye") and ended up buying Villa Elaine after hearing Billy Corgan say that "Prophecy" was one of his favourite songs of the year.
They strike me as a cross between Radiohead and The Smashing Pumpkins (and what better roots could you ask for?), although the final song, "Goodbye Little World," is reminicent of the late Beatles' work.
Villa Elaine is a diverse album, with honest-to-God good lyrics and some really very nice music. Highly recommended.

I first heard a Remy Zero song on the TV show Roswell and I was so impressed by it that I immediately downloaded it. I then decided to give the album a listen to on Amazon.com and I have to say that I was blown away! I've never heard music quite like this before- it's not 'pop' music but it's so melodic while being alternative simultaneously. There's real power behind the vocals on all of the tracks and my favourite track has got to be Yellow Light-it's incredible!! Give it a listen and you will have to agree!

I've been a long time band of Remy Zero ever since I heard them at City Stages in Birmingham in 1997. Villa Elaine is most probably the best album I have ever encountered. The lyrics, guitar, and overall musical score are amazing. I've heard everyone compare them to radiohead, U2, Queen, and others, but I feel like RZ has a style all it's own. I haven't been able to take this cd out of my player since I've bought it, and I've told everyone I know about this amazing band. They're sure to be legends of their time. I was blessed to be able to hear them live in Dallas, TX at Deep Ellum Live with Semisonic. They are the most energetic, emotional, and gripping artists I have ever encountered. Buy this cd and you'll be perpetually satisfied.