Customer Reviews

Warmer Side of Cool

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

 

 

Next to Mosaic, this would have to be Wang Chungs next best album. This album contains alot of great intrumentation from edgy guitars to carrying Keyboards and synths to an upbeat chorus. Its amazing that this album was Jack Hues and Nick Feldmans last full Wang Chung album. Love and Logic and Swing stand as my favorites off the album.

This is the cd for anyone who thought Wang Chung's musical repertoire solely consisted of songs like ,"Everybody Have Fun Tonight." A dramatic departure from their previous releases, this is truly an exceptional endeavor. Consisting of mesmerzing lyrics, commanding vocals and dynamic instrumentation, this release rivals "To Live and Die in LA" for its ingenious arrangements. Due to preconceived notions by the critics as to what Wang Chung's music should be, it faded into obscurity without much fanfare. "Warmer Side of Cool" is truly a musical gem that deserves a listen

An excellent album, their third. I wish they would make a fourth. If you like "Dance Hall Days" and "Everybody Have Fun Tonight", you should get this one. I believe it is their best.

A masterpiece of artistry, production and mixing. Peter Wolf's production and Jeremy Smith's mixes are nothing short of stunning. Extremely well crafted songs. Deep arrangements and sound textures married to burning lyrics and soaring vocals make this album one of my top 3 choices ever for power, emotion and sophistication. You can listen to it a hundred times and still find something else new in the mix. Meanwhile the guitar work and vocals go straight through your heart. Just great!! I wish this crew would do another, they are truly magic together.

By C.S.

Many groups from the primarily British 1980's New Wave Movement had their brief, albeit a little more than fifteen (15) minutes of fame before sliding off the musical radar screen.
The London outfit Wang Chung were certainly no different, but they left a musical mark that has been overloked.
Their 1984 album "Points On The Curve" was one of the landmark albums of any genre, any decade and certainly the band's most potent collection.
After the sometimes brilliant and inconsistent group of tracks that was "Mosaic", Wang Chung released "The Warmer Side of Cool" in 1989.
Their second LP since the departure of drummer Darrin Costin marks an improvement from "Mosaic" and a worthy rival to "Points" regarding the album's better creations.
The presence of drummer Vinnie Colauita is the stabilizing force on the slithering "Snakedance" with it's heavy Moog bass and soaring synths and the punchy Rush like guitars employed by Jack Hues and his bass slapping sidekick Nick Feldman on the truth to be told "The Speed Of Life", highlighted by a wicked bass led tempo change,Colauita's crystal clear fills, and Hues mind altering lines "a stream of information,on a green letter screen, makes him feel in touch with the world,and sure of what it means".
All of this written before the advent of the Internet which begs one to inquire as to whether Hues knew what was happening BEFORE it happened.
The seamless sounding tones of Hues guitar give his rhytmic arrangements a distinctive sound on " When Love Looks Back At You" where Colauita uses the crown of his cymbals, off beat changes tempo, and drum rolls effectively, and "the title track where he adds heavy riffs in tandem with Feldman's heavy bass line and the matter of fact phrase " and to climb above the tree line is only for the fools".
He also sprinkles in acoustic magic with the aformentioned ingredients on the stripped down, raw "Tall Trees In A Blue Sky" works where a sparingly used keyboards arrangement provides some fill to the basic approach.
"Games Of Power, Big World and Praying To A New God" are the weak links in the chain on "Warmer" compared to the offbeat charm of the big band inspired "Swing", but the well- crafted potency,lyrically and musically of the albums more sparkling moments make this an eyebrow raising effort almost worthy of four to five star status on those merits alone, but given some of the bumps in the road on this interesting musical journey, Wang Chung receive a VERY STRONG(3) star rating.

C.S.
7-9-03