Customer Reviews

Weird Food & Devastation

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

I'm surprised at what disregard Connells' fans have for this album. Despite the fact that it is not the best album by the Connells, it's still better than most of the bad music that we get force fed over the airwaves. The songs on this album are not as catchy as the SONG "Fun and Games", but they still resonate in the mind and I can sing along with every song ("Smoke", "Back to Blue", "On Your Honor"). I know a lot of Connells' fans who developed a tin ear for this band after Fun and Games, which I can't understand. I know I'm going for sacrilege here, but Fun and Games is my least favorite Connells' album. Give me the darker sounds of Weird Food & Devastation any day(as well as One Simple Word and Ring). 3 stars for the album and one star to give them a boost because I hate to see this blemish on their permanent record.

Ok, you'll all probably hate me, but for me, this is my favorite Connells disc. I recently recorded in the same studio this was done in, and yeah, there's not a lot to do there, which allows for you to get really creative in the music. This cd is the most different release they've done, and it shows the band progressing to new sounds, rather than resting on the successes of Fun & Games and Ring.

The best part of the whole album is the fact that there is no obvious single. That takes a lot of guts for both a band and a label. The sounds are very sharp and edgy, creating an ultramodern sound that you really wouldn't expect from the ol' boys.

The songs on here, while they may not be their best songs, hold up quite well. The dynamics are the greatest I've yet to hear from this band. Kudos for taking a chance guys! For those of you who choose to dis this album, think about this: U2 went electronic and lost a lot of support, but it's because of those ventures that their current album is so well written. In the same manor, this album lead to some of the best songwriting these guys have done.

I'll agree that this album isn't even close to being the best introduction to the Connells, but there are a few tracks on here worth salvaging. "Pretty Rough" is one of my favorite Connells songs, "Hang On" is very good, and "Maybe" is catchy despite the horrid lyrics:

And it keeps me alive / And that is how I want to be / And it keeps me alive / And that is how I am

Ugh.

Band members have admitted that they didn't have much fun making this album, and it does show overall. Still, if you're a Connells fan, there are some tracks on here that you shouldn't be without.

OK, so this is by no means the best Connells album...infact, its probably their weakest, but the one star reviews are totally unjustified. When i first heard this I thought it was amazing, however that was only because the first four songs...Maybe, Start, Fifth Fret and the brilliant Just Like That were so good...however I have to admit that after this the album does kind of go downhill...not even downhill...just nowhere, its almost like a collection of OK b-sides of varying styles - Adjectives being a good example. Hang On kind of gets your hopes up again but after that, to be honest there isnt a lot to get excited about. Individualy most of the other songs are OK but its miles away from Ring or Still Life - the album really loses its structure towards the end.

Anyway as I finish this review I'm still not sure to give it three stars or four...I give it 4 because so many other people have been so hasty with one star reviews ! Its so cheap second hand, just buy it for the first 4 songs, but buy the earlier stuff first !

I mostly listen to obscure small-label artists: what many might call spacey-indie stuff. I must confess that I'm not really into the other Connells albums (though I've since aquired them); there's quite alot of basically good pop/rock in the world and the other albums generally seem to blend in with it pretty well. This, on the other hand, is a real indie achievement, conjuring fleeting images of obscure places, building emotional intensity, and then simply letting it go. The songwriters are not writing nameless and placeless pop material, but seem to have a sense of themselves, mentioning for the first time where they're from ("And I'm down here in Raleigh, Really..."), and making numerous references to specific things, situations, etc. Okay, so this is done fairly often, and rarely well, so what makes this one so good? The Connells have been around long enough and matured enough as musicians to bring a solid tone and expertly tailored shifts in intensity to the spacey-indie introspection that is usually hit-or-miss with sloppier, younger bands. This album is all over the place, very much like real life, and illustrates instances of trying to cope, trying to get by with things as they are, as discordant and unfulfilling as they might initially seem. As such it has actually given me some emotional support, something I just can't get from pop. If you're into pop/rock and/or other Connells music you might not like it. But if you're into more obscure, introspective, small-label stuff, getting this album is a risk worth taking.

The Connells say that this record was done in a very difficult time for the band and I think you can hear it. But this is what makes it so intense. I have to say that first I also had my problems with the record but the more I listened to it the more I understood it. So I can tell everyone who still thinks that it's one of the weaker records the Connells did: Listen to it again and you'll probably find what I think makes this record so special.
But "Weird Food" shouldn't be your first Connells record because you might not see the difference to the other ones.

I totally dig their side-trip into Crazy Horse-styled loud riffage and distortion here. It actually reveals the strength of the songwriting after having enjoyed so many of their other records. I could stand to hear these songs done the standard way they record and arrange their other material, but I'm glad to have this nonetheless.
Admittedly, it took a couple listens to figure out what they were doing here, but worth the multiple spins.

I just don't get the dissin' on this one. It's not up to _Ring_ standards, but after all, few albums are. I think of it as The Connells' equivalent of R.E.M.'s _Monster_, which arrived on the heels of the critical darling _Automatic for the People_ but sounded a bit too different, to the extent that it mostly sank below the waves.

For the record, there's plenty of catchy stuff here. I'm extremely fond of five of the first six, and "Fifth Fret" worked perfectly well as a single as far as I'm concerned: it has that classic, yearning, melody-drenched Connells sound, amped up a bit just for fun. The second half does fall off somewhat, but you've got to come back for the slow-burn "Pretty Gone" and the simple but lovely ballad "Too High," which appears in the same position as "Waiting My Turn" two albums prior and recalls it to no small degree (even if that gorgeous "wtf?" oboe doesn't come out of nowhere this time around).

One lousy cent used plus $2.98 shipping: I promise you that this is a steal.

This album may be a bit too experimental for some reviewers however, to me, this is a great album that provides a little more diversity than the normal status-quo Connells album - A great addition to any CD collection.

Well, it's obvious from the reviews on here that this is an album that really divides people. It seems like you either love it or hate it. Now, I have been a fan of The Connells for a long time and own almost everything they've ever put out, but that doesn't mean I can't be objective. I wouldn't give this a 5 star rating, but I wouldn't say it deserves 1 star, either.

I think that the reason "Weird Food & Devastation" gets ripped apart by so many reviewers is that it is a change of sound for the band. The guitar sound is more raw than on other albums, the vocals are more subdued and there is a bleakness that seems to hang over most of the songs. These are not necessarily bad things, though. It just adds an edge to it. This is not a happy album. To me, this is a good album to throw on when it's damp and overcast outside or when you are depressed and angry late at night.

Now, there has been a lot of talk about the lack of catchy melodies. Well, all I know is that there are at least 4 or 5 songs on here that can easily get stuck in my head for days. "Maybe", the leadoff track is a good example. I find it insanely catchy. Also "Start", "Adjective Song", and "Hang On" are all memorable if you ask me.

What I'm trying to say is that even though it might not be as good as some of their other work(I will concede that the lyrics can be a bit weak in spots), it isn't as bad as it is made out to be. If this is the worst album The Connells ever put out, then they have nothing to be ashamed of.