Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Subtly Textured Tapestry of Hope, Darkness and Yearning, January 24, 2005
"Falling Farther In," OP's second album/CD, bears out the potential evident in their lush, darkly gothic debut. For anyone wanting a "bottom line" review before I dig into details, I'd call this "alterna-goth-pop," with all of the best of many genres present (intelligence, originality, accessibility, a brooding sensibility) with none of the crappy trappings (disposability, suicide-inducing hopelessness, hard on the ears).
Musically, the album manages to be both cohesive and wonderfully diverse. Richly textured with great production and musical depth, the songs range from anthemic, acoustic introspection ("Deep As You Go") to sweeping, lush ballad ("If I Could") to driving, percussion-punctuated rock ("Funeral in His Heart"). "Sunday Morning Yellow Sky" is a stand out track in these regards; driving bass line, sharp guitar strings and a full band to fill in between (and it's hip-swayingly groovy, too). "Something More Than This" features a fluid, rolling piano sound that really builds with the song's themes of ache and hope.
Even more, the music is emminently accessible. Unlike many musical "ar-teests" who seem to think it's their job to create music that's truly work to listen to, OP crafted a very accessible collection of songs with FFI. Whether you're grooving along with the melody or hearing the refrain in your head, the music on this CD was made to be pleasing to your ears (as well as your spirit).
Of course, it's not just OP's music that makes it distinctive. Mary Fahl's voice is in full power here - and I don't mean that she belts it out whenver possible like Celine Dion. Fahl makes full use of her vocal range, as well as being very comfortable singing or even talking quietly. To be sure, her voice soars and swoons, but it's always in service to the song and story, not as a showboat kind of effort. If you've never heard Mary Fahl before, I envy you the joy of hearing her for the first time: she's the brooding pop sister of Trisha Yearwood, someone with a sweet, strong voice that knows how to infuse it with life's sorrow and passion.
Lyrically, FFI is miles ahead of OP's debut. I'd consider the debut album the equivalent of a high school senior's (or perhaps college freshman's) take on poetry and gothic storytelling: you can feel the talent and potential, but it's struggling to breath through the conventions and cliches of the form. With FFI, OP's songwriters really break through. The lyrics are specific, intelligent, literate and meaningful. The album cascades with references to Alice in Wonderland, the 1993 tragedy in Waco, Texas, mid life crisis, the struggle to be a better lover/person, and more. There's a definite undertone of spirituality in the lyrics that's never preachy, always reaching.
And while I DO rate this album with Amazon's highest rating, there are a couple of misfires: tracks 5 and 7. They're not horrible, by any means, but compared to the rest of the album, they're fairly bland and unremarkable. "Johnny" is a tad didactic, while "After the Fall" fails to excite.
But that leaves 9 great songs, a feat by any standard. I can't even pick "stand outs" from the 9 because they're all just incredibly good. Start discovering the richness hidden here - you'll be glad you did.
Postscript: there's a certain amount of irony in that this album is STILL in print, long after Sony deemed OP not commercially viable.
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15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Mary Fahl and friends created a GREAT album, December 29, 1999
October Project is history. Epic Records dropped them inexplicably in 1996 after this album was released. I was lucky to catch their concert at Town Hall, NYC, that year. Mary Fahl has one of the truly great voices in rock and folk-rock (worthy of comparison with Annie Haslam of Rennaisance, Maddy Prior of Steeyeye Span, Jacqui McShee of Pentangle). Fahl is working on a solo album (managramusic.com) and the OP songwriting team has a new group November Project (novemberproject.com) with an EP. But the two albums by October Project are a GREAT legacy in themselves. Listen and be captivated!
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A masterpiece that went unappreciated by many., August 5, 2001
By A Customer
After listening to the music of their first album, i eagerly awaited the second one, hoping that when it was produced, the band would have kept its original members and of course that unique 'Project Sound'. It was so easy to distinguish October Project from the majority of 'noise' that floods our airwaves on a day to day basis. However it seemed that the buying public just wasn't ready for too drastic a change, so this album was their last, even though it got more exposure than their first one.'Falling farther in' kept their familiar style going, but by now the lyrics had matured, and while a few felt that it fell short of their first album, this was actually a better album than the first in many ways. Julie Flanders lyrics are simply outstanding, she just gets them right each and every time, and with Mary Fahls fantastic voice, these songs virtually come alive with emotion. The last song on the album 'If i could' has got to be one of the best songs ever written, with its smooth methodical style and love ballad lyrics, this is undoubtably the 'Project' at its best. Not to be outdone, the other songs carry the listener to an assortment of various tempos and styles that show how an album should be produced. The song 'Something more than this' gives the listener a window into just how much range and depth Marys voice can achieve, this lady is a gift to the music world . It is unfortunate now that the group is not together anymore, however recently Mary has gone solo with a very limited four song album, maybe she feels that by doing this, now is the time for a reunion of the band.
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