Customer Reviews

Walking Wounded

5 star:		(58)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This album is a downright miracle. When I purchased it in June of 1996 (the first of 7 copies so far) I was at a very pivotal point in my life and this LP helped my transition in ways I almost can't express. My best friend Rebecca let me drive her crazy playing this EVERYWHERE we went for 2 years! The opener "Before Today" will hook you immediately with it's ambient synths and Tracy Thorn's aching yet confident singing introducing the song which soon dives into bass-heavy staccato beats and keyboards before wafting away in the mist again........simply magnificent! Ben Watt's lyrics on this and every other track are of special note, "Before Today" perfectly balances bravado and vulnerability ('my heart is that much harder now, that's what I thought before today') and the insecurity we all carry into the world with us each day and that linger after a relationship has ended ('do you like being single?, do you want me back?' from "Single" which brilliantly employs a sample of an old Tim Buckley song). Two acoustic-guitar based songs ("The Heart Remains A Child" and "Mirrorball") hearken back to the duo's early sound but manage to fit perfectly into this musical setting and give the album a nice organic, human feel. The title song is an absolute heartbreaker that will haunt the mind and senses of anyone who's been rejected by an ex-lover. Not letting go has never sounded so beautiful, yearning, and innovative at the same time! Over a masterful, slow-paced, string-laden drum'n'bass track, the heroine of this piece (Tracy can play the victim so well) expresses herself in such agonizing detail you almost feel voyeuristic listening to her. The lyrics perfectly capture the gamut of emotions one feels after an emotional tragedy; confusion, loss, sadness, anger, blame and injury all in the space of one song ( 'out amongst the walking wounded, every face on every bus, is you and me and him and her, and nothing can replace the us I knew'), listening to this centerpiece of the album, one truly gets the sense that relationships and human emotions are far too fragile to be toyed with. Ben Watts' production never falters, for a man who was apparently new to the whole drum'n'bass sound just shortly before this release, he attacks his duties with such fervor his joy at discovering new sounds and textures is evident on every track. Ms. Thorn has never sang better in her life, she seems revitalized yet relaxed and assured in her delivery, she knows she sounds great and enjoys breaking new ground. This is what evolving as an artist is all about, being fearless and taking chances with your sound, looks (check out Tracy primping in her mirror with Ben chillin' next to her in the back of a plush Lincoln on the CD cover!) and forcing your audience to follow and grow along with you. The transformation here is astonishing and it paid off, both creatively and commercially for the duo and their fans and for this gift to world of music, to Everything But The Girl I Thank You. This release gets my highest praise. ESSENTIAL LISTENING.

If you have ever had your heart broken, been unsure of yourself, or pondered you own emotional state...this is the album for you.
I bought this album b/c first off, I love Tracey Thorn's voice.If you took the rasp out of Dusty Springfield then dipped her voice in honey..thats what Tracey's voice is like. Second..I liked the club/electronica sound of Temperamental and thought that since this album was their first big push in that direction , that I might like it as well- BIG Understatement. This album has it all...nice beats, nice melodies..Tracey's voice..but the kicker is..its not just cheesy anthem lyrics (you broke my heart in two, you left me blue etc etc) these lyrics are some of the most personally reflective and insightful lyrics I have ever heard...and the fact that they show up on a dance record can be quite suprising if you are not on the lookout for it, as I was.

The best of the best- personally, my fave on the album is Heart Remains a Child...just the best lyrics...and I could personally relate to it, b/c I had lived those lyrics...very very insightful. Then there is Walking Wounded..another great angsty song and then the singing and beat on 'I Was Wrong 'is just the best, I always jam along to that one. The good songs on that album are to numerous to name in one review..but suffice it say, there are few songs(if any, which i dont think there are) that make me reach for the FF button. Just a great great album for you feet and for your mind and heart- A.N.

Unlike most other bands that would either stick with a winning formula or gently move into another direction progressively, Everything But The Girl has leaped into the competitive genre of electronica with surprising results. The dance scene is already suffocated with an array of choices but EBTG has managed to hold their own with gusto and sensitivity. While the lyrical content has stayed true to the band's writing artistry, their sound has definitely moved onto another plain which not only complements the melodies within, but also Tracey's intimate story telling. Highlights of the album include the heart wrenching, "Single"; sparse drum and bass outing of "Walking Wounded"; the reflective "Good Cop Bad Cop" and the melancholic "Mirrorball". Flawless vocals, tight complex rhythms. The marriage of electronica and human emotions has never been so personal and beautiful.

...among other places. "Walking Wounded" ranks as one of my favorite albums of all time.

I was a late adopter of EBTG falling in love with their most recent release ("Tempermental" in '99), and then devouring their work backwards. EBTG's sounds have morphed very significantly since the 80's but I would say that "Tempermental" and "Walking Wounded" are quite similar (Tempermental is my personal favorite). This band is always at the razors edge of innovation. As evidence, this album could be considered "modern" if released today despite its being almost a decade old.

Similar to "Tempermental" in theme, this CD is even more melancholy; centered around the pain in losing love, coming to grips with a new life, and suffering the understandably conflicted feelings of blame, optimism, and nostalgia as a newly single woman...

Aside from the extraordinarily addictive rhythms, the asymmetrical tempo of percussion and base, the ominous sounding samples that pepper this entire album, it's the voice of Tracey Thorn that stitches everything together, softening it, warming the clinical into the comfortable...as I note in the title of this review, this is one of those few electronic CD's that, despite the occassional speed in tempo, I take to bed with me.

Every song on the album is worth getting acquainted with, although my favorites are:

"Single"...if this isn't THE SONG to listen to post-breakup to stir your emotions (as if they'd need any more rousing)...

"Before Today"...just as with "Single", this song shares the same theme but is laid against more determination (vs. resignation); much faster, and less likely to make you...well, let's just say it's less likely to make you feel very emotional (forgive me, but I'm a man and would rather not be advertising the potential of this song to "make you cry").

"Walking Wounded"...erratic electronic tempo (which may be an intentional reflection of the kind of conflicted and pained emotions she attempts to convey in her lyrics) set against hauntingly beautiful vocals.

"Good Cop Bad Cop"...i almost always forget to play this song when I'm listening to this CD (it's track 9); just a gem of a song. Very simple lyrics (almost all hook) set to a background that oscillates between near silence, and machine-gun fast percussion.

I really couldn't say enough good things about this album. For those of you who've only heard what's been played on the radio, and love it, absolutely buy a CD from this group. I guess the only question would be "which one". As I mentioned earlier, "Tempermental" is my favorite album of theirs, but not by too wide a margin.

If you find yourself absolutely in love with this type sound I'm afraid I won't be much help in finding you a close match, although consider checking out "Zero 7", their new album "When It Falls" is a fantastic (albeit slower) type sound with similarly beautiful vocals against modern and interesting rhthyms.

Hope this helped.

This is one of the best albums of the 1990's. If you thought major labels couldn't put out creditable artistry then you were wrong. After EBTG's massive reinvention as a cutting edge dance music act "walking wounded" finds the duo at the full helm of this new direction. Not since New Order had I heard electronic dance music this human and this senstitive. At the peek of the dance/electronica 90's explosion, when bold and adventurous sub-genres were mutating like viruses and the human had fully re-taken the machine along came Everything But the Girl. Here they add even more soulful, existential, thoughful lyrics about love, loss, and urban life. And underneath lies a breathtaking arrangement of truely cutting edge and even avantgarde electronic dance music. A total classic.

it's very hard to make songs so personal resonate for others. tracy thorn does. the score and the beats in back of her voice are stunning in their restraint. best cut from this album? pssh, pick any one. it's wonderful all the way through.

"Walking Wounded" is a bridge. A bridge that took EBTG from their pop-bossa nova roots, to the undoubtadbly ass-kicking house of trip-hop, ambient, lounge and adult pop. "WW" is a mixture of EBTG's past and future, a CD that explores the newly discovered by EBTG, clubland, and stands out as a classic trip hop album that any self-respected trip hop fan should have. Best songs from the album: Single( in which Massive Attack's influence from "Protection" is clear),Walking Wounded, Before Today and Wrong.
Gr8 CD. Get it now!!!

This CD really is one of the great masterpieces of dance music...It really put a human touch on "electronic" music; much like Bjork with Post...the songs are really solid and the house and drum 'n bass beats add texture and depth without seeming extraneous...and above all else Tracy's voice sounds absolutely amazing over the beats...I think I read that Rollingstone called her a dance club Dusty Springfield, and I don't think that it's to far off the mark...the production is solid; never over stated...I would list stand out tracks, but they are all stand out tracks...I have introduced this Cd to countless friends and they are always blown away; typically going out to purchase the CD...most people only remember them in connection to Missing(The Terry Todd Mix)...which is kinda sad, because there is much more to EBTG as this album shows...check it out, you may just find it winning you over as well...

Walking Wounded still ranks as EBTG's best and first foray into melding techno with Tracey's buttery voice. It's eminently hummable but there is enough variety that you don't get anesthetized by the beats. I dig Temperamental too, but it sounds a little rehashed. Walking Wounded and the Acoustic record are absolutely the best works to come from the band.

I haven't stopped playing this CD constantly for a week. (I'm sure I'm driving everybody else nuts....) I am gaga over this album. It is amazing.

It shows such command and mastery of *music* by the team. The dance style techno-beats that Watt builds under each song are hip-enuf-4-me! They create a fast-moving river onto which he layers terrific electronica. Not only does he (and/or collaborators) demonstrate technical mastery of synthesized sound, there is Madonna-class production talent combining all the component sounds into world-class tunes.

Then as soon as they get you jumpin' with this great drum-and-bass beat they add Tracy's slow, textured vocal lines. She creates a *personal* connection to you with her voice. It is mature, relaxed, unforced. It connects with me instinctively. She makes it like she is talking to you personally, telling you how she feels, not performing -- a feeling helped in large part by the lyrics. The language they use *nails* the emotions involved, and develop them as an integral part of the whole.

They apply this technique to each song, but each song has such a different beat foundation that you don't feel like you are listening to the same song over and over. Ben's beats vary *so* widely that the result is an album where each new song satisfies your craving for something that is both new and more-of-the-same.

By the end, when I listen to a song, it's like the team is speaking as I would. I'm a person of the late 90's music generation, and want a hip beat, and they've got 'em here, folks. I'm a person with emotions, and they capture them with language that reflects perfectly. And I'm a musician that appreciates how music is a complete work, with sound, rhythym, and melody, and I understand how extraordinary it is to get all these things to come together well in once place. EBTG did it again and again on this album.

My only disappointment: there isn't another album like it that I can buy. The older albums are not techno/beat enough for me. Walking Wounded came out in 1996, and not seeing another album from EBTG since then worries me that they aren't working any more. I sincerely hope they follow up with another album more like WW than the older stuff. And soon. There is wonderful, wonderful talent here and I want to immerse myself in more.