Customer Reviews

Wishville

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(13)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

A slightly new name (so people will no longer mistakenly find their albums under "female folk singers"), and a shorter, more concise version of the compelling songwriting and instrumentation always found on their albums. This is no masterpiece like 'Adam and Eve', as there is really nothing as compelling here as 'Ma Solituda' or as epic as "Phantom of the American Mother', but a great album after repeated listens nevertheless. One of the few bands who can still write complex, emotional songs in the usually-tiring 'guitar/bass/drums' motif. I'm a bit disappointed with only 9 songs clocking in at just 40 minutes, but 'Wishville' is still another great album by one of the best bands in the world. I just wish everybody else knew it! Hopefully Sony will work them like the Mercury label didn't, and the rest of the world will catch on!

Catherine wheel are/ were a pretty solid rock band. Started out shoegazey, got a little more aggressive along with the nirvana thing, and then hit an apparent peak with "Adam and Eve". I have no idea if they were forced to release this garbage, or if they really thought it was good or it was a contract-finishing record or what. There are 9 songs, and 9 songs only. Maybe 2 or 3 are worth hearing again. The album is made up of pretty straight forward and pretty awful rock songs. They last about 4 minutes each, they basically mesh into one another and sound really tired and uninspired. I'm probably digging too deep, but maybe the band just wanted to get this out so they could break up (haven't seen nor heard from them since)? If you are looking for quality "alternative" rock, look elsewhere. There are dozens of great bands making similar, sylistically speaking, music that do it a lot better than this. Actually go buy "Adam and Eve", "Chrome" or "Ferment" by this very band. They made those albums when they cared about making music. Clearly their passion is gone!

It is time that Catherine Wheel are widely recognized for their consistently solid, brilliant records. Of course, that said, it will be a shame if Catherine Wheel were to become mainstream music heroes at this point, some ten years into their career. Not only would it be like people jumping onto a bandwagon but it would also mean that it would be much harder to get into their shows. (I need to convince them to come play in Iceland!)

Wishville is not the Catherine Wheel's best album to date, and I still find it perplexing that they changed their name from Catherine Wheel to The Catherine Wheel when fans have been trying to explain to non-fans (for years) that it is Catherine Wheel (so much for those efforts in vain!) I also don't know the story with them losing their longtime bassist Dave Hawes. Whatever the case, this album does not suffer any with these changes. There is the grinding guitar opening of the first single "Sparks Are Gonna Fly" and the vocals of Rob Dickinson, along with his believable lyrics (I have to admit that I am not as impressed with the lyrics here as in previous albums). There's the "blushing bride who loves an idle life..." and the "wedding night thighs, kept me alive..." in Crème Caramel and the "I slipped on truth the hard way... she preferred herself to me, so I said, We all believe what we want to believe in..." This album is like a hard-driven bargain, worth the wait for a new album, and the songs are stunning live. The only bad song here is "All of That" which disturbs the flow of the album and is narcissistically annoying.

The Catherine Wheel is a band which has been much overlooked and oft compared to lesser bands (the most common being Bush, which has to be the most ridiculous comparison I have heard of late). The Catherine Wheel are highly original, experimental, and so completely worth your time.

How did a band that produced such a magnificent cd like "Chrome" or such a sublime song like "Black Metallic", suddenly start to sound like Bush (and, trust me, this is not meant as a compliment)? Despite this very uninspired power-chord-laden "Wishville" effort, I urge you to explore the "older" works of this amazing band and see how brilliant they can be.

This album is simply stunning. I am floored by the negative reviews of this album, even by those familiar with the Catherine Wheel catalog. This is probably my favorite CW album. The songs are rich in texture, lyrically brilliant, and just plain magical. The production is phenomenal - Dickinson's voice has never sounded better or more impassioned; and that drum sound...(check out "Gasoline"). "Lifeline" and "Idle Life" are soul-wrenching songs that are among the best of the CW canon, while "Sparks are Gonna Fly" provides both an immediacy and a depth rare in rock.
The lack of championship of this album to me was a disaster literally and symbolically for music. I truly believe that. Crappy retro-garage bands, faux-new wavers, and WARP tour posers are polluting the air-waves...

Catherine Wheel, come back!!!!!!!

I have listened to this album a number of times in the last 2 days (just to give it a fair shake). Being an owner of all of Catherine Wheel's records, I think this is certainly not the band's best effort -- Adam and Eve easily takes that honor. The first 2 songs on Wishville are bombastic and have no real emotion. I think they were designed to "cross over" and reach a wider audience. The next song "Lifeline" is good, as is the even better "What we Want to Believe in" that follows next -- a certifiably good song with a rich, slowed down droning beat that works. Then one of the best songs on the album, "All of That," comes next. THIS is a great tune, especially the outro. It reminds me of the best quiet aspects of Adam and Eve and has overtones of Talk Talk's excellent Laughing Stock, a sparse adventure in contrasts, shimmering acoustics, space and tension. "Idle Life" which follows is one of the 3 best songs on the album -- a slow, sweeping, heartfelt masterpiece. The rest of the album is good with the execption of the exceptional "Ballad of a Running Man." Ordinarally, I would be happy with the record straight-up for the 3 excellent songs, but truth be told this is so far below what Catherine Wheel is capable of. Also it is a short record! Just 9 songs clocking in at 40 minutes. Creative drought perhaps? My wish for Wishville would be that the band had ditched the heavy, bombastic posings meant to reach a wider audience and instead built upon their meditative, majestic, sweeping arrangements -- where they excel most. I know Catherine Wheel is superb. But for first time buyers, my suggestion is a) buy Adam and Eve b) buy Ferment c) buy Happy Days or Chrome d) then buy Wishville if you like all the previous albums I just mentioned.

Catherine Wheel's newest album Wishville is UNDOUBTEDLY their most comercial album ever. Normally this is a bad thing, but the most impressive but not suprizing fact is it didn't chande their heart. Wishville was as I see it, an attempt to save rock, wich was aparant in the first radio release Sparks Are Gonna Fly. This was reminisant of the mid 90's grunge area and bought us back to the amazing hardhitting riffs of their 95 release "Happy Days." The second release "Gasoline" had reminants of Bush's 16stone album, and it is good to hear these sounds return. Altho CW swears that their showgazing daze are over, their latest tour (included in the CD set) showed us that they can make empty promises, and I'm glad they did. Seeing them twice on the tour (once at bowery a few months before this recording) proved that the dreamy effect of Robs vocals and Brian's guitar, Neils chilling harmony, and the suprising performances by newest bassist Ben will keep us "showgazing", even when greats like "Black Metalic" are retired. The quality of the live recording will capture you in your car or at home, and "dream" you back to your first CW show. Altho I know any fans reading this already know enough to buy it, I would like to wish all newcomers a happy listening.

Catherine Wheel's Wishville strikes a nice balance between the laid-back momentum songs found on Adam and Eve and the hard-driving songs from the classic Happy Days CD.

I think the reason most Catherine Wheel fans don't like this CD is because of the weak opening tracks Sparks Are Gonna Fly and Gasoline. But the outstanding tracks (Lifeline, Idle Life, What We Want To Believe In, and Ballad Of The Running Man) make this an exceptional recording.

The lyrics are singer Rob Dickerson's most personal and revolve around his insecurities and fears ("I am delicious. I am crap" - All Of That).

Also of interest is the Storm Thorgerson album artwork reminiscent of Pink Floyd's Ummagumma.

[DW]

But 4 stars worth, nonetheless. That shows you how consistent and potent this band is. Just as "ADAM AND EVE", one of the finest rock albums of the 90's, just came out of nowhere and floored me, this is a very good listen, a short collection but a solid one...it just doesn't pack the emotional wallop of its predecessor. However, that's not to say this is a step back. As long as they continue to stay the course (and that's good enough for them), then The Catherine Wheel will continue to produce melodic, thought-provoking rock for their particular audience. Loud but clear, this is a vital addition to their history, but where it finally rests is a good question.

I have never been a huge fan of Catherine Wheel, although I've always respected them. When I first heard this album a couple of months before it's release, I was converted. I was literally distressed about having to wait for it to come out. Now it's here. I must recommend this album to anyone who wants emotion and depth in their music. Rob Dickinson's voice is so expressive and even a little spooky sometimes. The first track, "Sparks are Gonna Fly", is an alt-rock assault and then you're plunged into the odd "Gasoline." From there it's quiet and loud at the same time and a little hard to describe. My favorite has got to be "All of That". For me, it's a personal anthem of self acceptance and it's strangley beautiful. If you are into Radiohead, The Verve, Slowdive or any similar bands, you should check this out. It's going to be one of the best this year.