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return to the breath - track by track
reviewed by wardyga | Overall

This review of return to the breath is based upon the re-release in the viewpoint of this being the 'final draft' of the album.

still breathing |

A chilling song that captures the feeling of suspended emotion, from a seemingly inescapable & eternal ordeal. This masterpiece fits best as an opener because of how it begins and certainly deserved its move to the first track of the album. The song ends with a gripping gasp of breath...i.e. name of album.

the end of the line |

This song is a unique leap in style for the band, encompassing an almost stripped down side that maintains its integrity throughout. The theme is a hunger for deep intimacy toward someone who does not reciprocate the need as intensely. Once again, a very powerful close to a song that was added to the album at the last moment.

red |

While the message carries a similar theme to still breathing, red feels more like an accepting of pain and loneliness. A celebration in it's own right, the rolling drums and piano overtones highlight the beauty of this emotional piece of music.

lullaby for marguerite |

The backwards drum open and beautiful cello are just the beginning of this heartfelt melody about a lost love. Because of the subtitle (1904-1993), it can be assumed that this was written to a grandmother or great aunt. The music is very spiritual and presents an array of sections that capture the many talents of the band.

all my lovers |

The lyrics for this track were well-written, but the adding of a zillion syllables to every other word may have been overkill. This was most likely executed to accommodate the music (which may have been written first), but it makes it extremely difficult to understand the vocals. The music is about average.

the knowing |

Great dark overtones in just about every instrument here. This song is about a need to communicate through words, but abandoning them when they don't seem to work. A search beyond words to "know" if a love is real.

shadowgirl |

This one moves at a slow pace and drags the listener along with repetition, with the exception of a midway changeup. Perhaps the leisurely tempo was to compliment the lyrics, which describe the monotony of an unhappy life. The question is, how many listeners gain satisfaction from this monotony?

a simple truth |

The first half of this song offers little that we haven't heard before. It's the middle of the song where things get interesting, such as Julie singing, speaking and whispering the words on multiple tracks. Overall a very good song about reckoning the unforgettable.

the trip |

One of the most invigorating tracks on the album, this possesses a mystical power reminiscent to desert winds of jezebel from the hating tree. The theme emanates a distraught bewilderment which (from the album's perspective) could be seen as the result of the pain and suffering exemplified in the songs that precede it. A great closer to a great album!