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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The best CD you've never heard of..., June 26, 2003
By A Customer
I first heard this CD when I was a junior in college and it quickly became an instant fixture in my stereo. This follow up to the very catchy "Failure" is a geniune pop masterpiece. Released around the time when grunge was king, Dear 23 was an overlooked album that can easily compete with their other Seattle counterparts in quality. Although "Frosting on the Beater" was probably their biggest commercial success, this album is by far the gem of their career.The harmonies of Jon and Ken are seldom rivaled and are what seperates them from the pack. This release shows their very diverse song writing talents, from the emotionally powerful "Any other way" to the jazzy "Mrs. Green" to the heavy "Help yourself" with two excellent acoustic numbers in between. Never lost is their remarkable sense of melody and catchy hooks. With lyrics like, "The lines across your face are drawn with hate, 'cause I'm drawn to someone else..." this album has a very dark, anti-relationship message throughout. This is a must-own CD for any fan of clever, well written pop songs surrounded by excellent harmonies.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Emotional Bliss, December 26, 2002
"Dear 23" is an album that I loved upon first listen..the harmonies of Jon and Ken are fabulous, coupled with wonderful, hearfelt lyrics/insturmentation-this is not just your average pop music!! While their sound is vaguely reminiscient of late 60's-early 70's psychedelia, the Posies had also created a niche for themselves in the music scene that was, sadly, sorely under-appreciated and overlooked...I am so glad I didn't make that mistake!! The whole album is incredible, but I would have to say that my 2 outstanding favorite tracks are "Apology" and especially "Any Other Way"-talk about packing an emotional whack upside the head!! The Posies are no longer together, but fortunately, they left behind a fabulous body of music treasures..."Dear 23" is not to be missed!!!
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
My favorite album of all time, January 16, 2007
I've been a Posies fan for years now, introduced to them, like many others were, by their album Frosting On The Beater and the semi-hit "Dream All Day." With the advent of internet shopping I could now find their other albums and I started buying them all. This album stopped me in my tracks, and years later I have yet to recover.
This is wonderful and timeless pop music. Sure, they wear their influences on their sleeves. So what? With songwriting this strong I don't see how anyone could complain. The vocal harmonies are top notch, blending so seemlessly into one voice. Jon Auer's lead guitar work is sublime, and in the case of songs like "Flood Of Sunshine," a profoundly spiritual experience. The depth of metaphor that fills songs like "You Avoid Parties" and "Everyone Moves Away" is beautiful on so many levels. And who can't relate to songs like "Help Yourself," "Apology," and "Any Other Way"?
A lot of people say that this album is over-produced, but I just don't hear that. Sure, the production is thick and there's plenty of reverb, but I've always believed that big songs deserve a big production. These songs perfectly walk the line between orchestrated pop and explosive arena rock, and the detailed and intricate production suits them perfectly in my opinion. Later albums seem rather under-produced in comparison, subscribing to the grunge school of rock that shunned big budget recordings.
There really isn't anything about this album that I don't like. From start to finish it transports you to another place in a way that no other album I own has been able to do. I don't listen to it as much as I once did, but every time I crack it out I find myself blown away all over again. Every chill that pulses down my spine makes me think that this is the most perfect power pop album ever recorded.
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album Dear 23 
