A Better Version of Me

Rainer Maria

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 23, 2001)
• Original Release Date: January 23, 2001
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Polyvinyl Records
• ASIN: B00005425R
• In-Print Editions: Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #159,939 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com's Best of 2001

With the release of A Better Version of Me, Rainer Maria prove that they have passed their music composition class. The trio has followed all the rules to find a balance between dissonance and harmony that would make your local indie kid swoon. They've got an adequate number of guitar hooks, poetry nerd lyrics, and consistently strong percussion to hold the whole up. But what is most obvious is the Tsunami-like female lead singer who is at the forefront of every composition. For the most part, the vocals swing back and forth between forced falsetto and controlled screaming. There are a few times, however, when they land perfectly off pitch--especially when the dueling male-female technique is used. This is an album that is consistent; neither the low nor the high points stray far from the middle. The finest moments are found at the beginning and end of the album. "Artificial Light" allows them to have a foot in both the twirling gazer and the angst-ridden categories throwing out such lines as "Maybe you try to be pretty instead of kind." With their final song, "Hell and High Water," they hit their most complicated point on the album with decadent, choppy instrumentation and passionate, edgy lyrics that would make their instructors proud. --Liz Riley

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars best pop single of 2001?, January 26, 2001

By	"tksc" (NY USA) - See all my reviews

this album elevates deep into the stratosphere with track 6: the contents of lincoln's pockets. it's an immortal pop tune: unmistakeably tuneful melody, strained yet endearing vocals, a clever harmony, a breakdown--and like the best and most audacious pop songs, it returns to the top. rm is capable of genunine poetic moments in their music: their lyrics stumble in and out of time, creating their own rhythm that often goes against the beat of the drummer and even our anticipations. "lincoln's pockets" is no exception. pop music: it's beautiful but a bit silly. and this song is precisely that. when cathlin sings "slammed to the back of your head/you've never been hit before" music transcends its silly pop (yet endearing) field of familiarity. and suddenly, this little pop ditty is everything; it is the world of life and death; a thoughtful meditation on, well, everything.

it's my early vote for the best pop song of 2001.

other notables: artificial light contains some inventive drum playing by william, as the bass drum jump in sync with cathlin's chorus. really nice. also the last two tracks "spit and fire" and "hell and high water" all but demand the repeat button.

a fine effort. they say that rock and roll is a bit like poetry. these three poets really make that synthesis sound authentic. it's not just about words, is it? it's still rock and roll--music. and, damn, rainer maria really experiment with the possible synthesis.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Evocative, February 25, 2003

By	Dark Goddess "isisraven" (San Mateo, CA USA) - See all my reviews

Atropine will be the most haunting song you hear all year... until you hear Seven Sisters, that is. With lines like "the light in my eye is so sharp it cuts the blue right out" and "do you ever hear what the stars are saying to you?" respectively, you won't find a better album in 2001. Caithlin De Marrais' voice will wrap around your brain and not let go until the final cords on "Better Version of Me" are complete.

If you like Rainer Maria... check out Tanya Donelly.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars good stuff, May 20, 2003

By	Chris (st louis MO) - See all my reviews

this album got me into rainer maria, and is still my favorite. The vocals throught the album are nothing short of beautiful, and mesh with the music perfectly. The album enters loudly with "artificial light" and "thought i was", before dropping to the cold, sagging melodies of "ceremony" and "seven sisters"- one of the highlights of the album. "save my skin" is not weak by any persepctives, but doesent stick out particularly. "the contents of lincons pockets" is quite possibly the dumbest thing to ever insert into such a brilliant CD, and is the reason this album got a 4. Kyle cannot sing, there is simply no way around it. he sounds somewhat like a sick pre-teen at the height of puberty on vocals. He doesent do so bad on backup. But just when you think that things are going downhill, the album cranks it down into low gear and strings together "atropine", one of the most hauntingly beautiful songs that i have ever encountered. The album lifts back up again for "spit and fire" and "hell and high Water" before ending- both are songs of particular quality, especially "hell and high water". though nothing really competes with the solemnety of songs like "atropine", the traditional indie stlye of switching quuckly and fluently in pace and tone keeps the album fresh and difficult to wear out. one of the better albums i have heard in quite some time, with the exception of the pre-teen singing, that is, this album stays melodic enough to be beautful, but never goes so poppy or redundant that it gets old.