Customer Reviews

Where Eaglets Dare

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

 

 

I was just randomly searching for new music and found this.

This is a great cd. It's one of those one-man-bands, but the performances are so tight, you might think it's a full band (well, with a drum machine) without first researching on google. I like every song, but my current favorites are "Some Battleground" and "Get Together". I hear a bit of Motown, Beck, 80's pop (e.g., Naked Eyes, Swing Out Sister), and perhaps Grifters influence in the songs. Yeah, it's low-fi but the production and performance are meticulous and creative enough that you forget/forgive its low-fi-ness pretty quickly--I almost forgot to mention this...forgive me.

I'm glad I found the cd, and I'm looking forward to hearing more from Greentrials.

I was tempted to give this CD a negative review based purely on the fact that some "customers" (uh huh. riiiight) recommended this CD "in addition to/instead of," oh say, seemingly every indie rock album of the last five years. The annoying ubiquity of this album finally drove me to the point of giving it a listen (yet, thankfully, not purchase). This album might have been something were it not for the overproduction (too much tinkering), the headache-inducing arrangements (the nascent hooks are very nearly lost) and the laughably pretentious lyrics ("nevermore, nevermore, nevermore." you got that right). Do yourself a favor... buy any of the other albums that invariably led you here.

I first heard this a year an a half ago because I knew somebody who knew somebody who could get me a free copy. So of course it was given to me with an explanation of its brilliance. I thought there were some great pop songs on it but I wasn't crazy about it. I put it aside. Then, sometime last year I heard "summer at shatter creek' I liked "summer at shatter creek", but it made me think - 'greentrials was at least this good'. so i gave greentrials another listen. I didn't fall in love with it then, either, but I had a newfound respect for it, and since then, this record (eaglets, that is) keeps growing on me. I've gone from being a sorta fan of a few songs to thinking it's pretty darn great. If you prefer a live band captured on record, you won't like it. IT won't hit you in that immediate, visceral way. If you're a fan of great songwriting and orchestration, definitely check it out.

I've listened to this album on and off for the past year or so. At first I only really appreciated about half of the songs, maybe not even that.
Don't get me wrong -- it's all well-made and thoughtfully crafted music. It's just in terms of catchiness it's a little inaccessible. With repeated listenings I found greater appreciation for the more subtle songs. Currently I'm hugely fond of "Dull Knife," "Pagan Cities," and "Heartlight." Of those three, "Pagan Cities" has *always* been a favorite, but the beauty and delicacy of the other two has only recently hit me.
Other standout songs are "Some Battleground," "Get Together," and "Sweet Intentions."
While the more "rocking" songs can kind of steal the spotlight on this album, its more subtle beauties alone are worth the price of admission.

Like a reviewer said before me, it grows on you, but it takes a while. Do not be mislead by the negative reviewers, but at the same time, don't be expecting a "You Forgot It In People" or something to that degree. This is a solid pop album filled songs from an "otherworldy top 40" as Amazon puts it. Give it a shot!

Uh...have you heard Sufjan's new one? Was he listening to this when he recorded, "I Walked"?

I hated this album from the first moment I heard it. I'm not sure why I even listened to it a second time. Why did the musical nuances stick in my head on the hundredth listen when I dislike it so?

Anyway, it came out in 2003 and recorded on "play what you can afford" instruments, so surely I still can't get past those issues. Why is it playing through my headphones now? Oh yeah, because it (especially Tin Gloves) reminded me of Mr. Stevens new record and he's a consensus genius, right?

I guess it is the definition of "grower".

i read the review of this. it prompted me to purchase the CD. this is poor, especially for a debut. do not be mislead