Search - Kimya Dawson :: Hidden Vagenda

Tim H. (TurnItUpTim)
Reviewed on 8/24/2009...

I'm sure some of you have came to love Kimya Dawson because of her tracks on Juno, however I was fortunate enough to have discovered this album back in early 2005. Not that it matters, nor am I trying to be a music snob. The Moldy Peaches' hilarious hit "Who's Got the Crack?" is what led me accidentally finding Kimya, and boy am I ever grateful for her thoughtful, vunerable lyrics and truly heartfelt music that she is so amazing at writing.

The "professional" review of this album from all-music.com is completely out of whack. "Anthrax (powerballad version)" was called a crap song, but it's actually one of the best tracks off the album, if not THEE best song ever written about 9/11. On it it she mentions the bands' instruments being stolen from their van, but then waking up to find out that hundreds of people had died in the terrorist attacks that unfolded throughout that fateful morning. If anything, she reminds us to keep what's important important!

She also throws down some wicked cool rants on "Viva La Persistence":

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Here's a simple dissertation on a complex situation
Money and intimidation and mass graves make strong foundations
For the giant corporations, that own all the TV stations
Telling us to take vacations to their big theme park plantations
Rather than to hearts of nations

Where we might meet people on the street
Who say "I don't want my MTV
Cause it brought Viva to its knees"

---

Kimya is a master at leading you into gloomy sadness, but then consistently cheers you up with hope, friendship, and love. To quote her, "find deflated hearts and pump them up." I would say that is indeed her mission statement, especially on this wonderful, wonderful album. Whether it's dealing with loss of a loved one, custody disputes, being picked last, or poverty, Kimya cures all ills with her unabashedly honest and poignant strumming and singing. I highly recommend tracking this album down, you will NOT be sorry : )

1 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.

Moldy Peach, Fresh Tunes

Craig Clarke | New England | 09/24/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Originality makes life very difficult for reviewers because it makes us have to come up with our own new ideas. No longer can we dip into our cache of pet phrases to describe a piece of music that sounds like another piece of music.



Kimya Dawson's Hidden Vagenda is the latest album to invert my world. It is almost completely unlike any other folk rock I've been hearing while somehow remaining entirely familiar. With the Moldy Peaches (her band with Adam Green, who cameos on the intro to "Anthrax") on indeterminate hiatus, Dawson has been recording solo album after solo album to increasing fame and acclaim (Hidden Vagenda was chosen by Entertainment Weekly as one of the top 25 most anticipated albums of autumn 2004).



For good reason, too, because can this woman write! Equal parts political ("Fire") and personal ("It's Been Raining"), and always surprising (check out that machine-gun delivery on "5 Years"), antifolk poster girl Dawson is one artist who is not hesitant to put her whole self on record. And her skill at recording those ideas, along with her ability to know how to approach a song (whether just her and a guitar -- "Lullaby for the Taken" -- with another singer -- -- or accompanied by a full chorus -- "I Will Never Forget"), is remarkable.



She is not afraid to whisper ("You Love Me") or yell ("I Will Never Forget") as necessary, or of a repetitive rhyme scheme. "Viva la Persistence," for example, is a call for reason hidden within a joyous little pop ditty with Jack Dishel's brushing drums where the rhymes just go on and on. And "Anthrax (powerballad version)" -- another rendering of a song from her album My Cute Fiend Sweet Princess -- is more moving that it has any right to be. Her choice of the power ballad (complete with an electric guitar solo from Scott Loving) is perfect for the weight of the message (the events following September 11th). "I Will Never Forget" is also surprisingly powerful for a track that stars both a toy piano and a full chorus.



There is nothing close to boredom to be found at any point during Hidden Vagenda. Each song's style is different from the last while retaining a flow. (The sudden beginnings and endings of several of the tracks on this CD make the album feel like Dawson make a cassette of her feelings -- complete with clicks -- just for our personal listening.) Some songs are melancholy, other are hopeful, but, like in all things, the best ones are a combination of both. And any album that name-drops both Julian Lennon and Scott Ian and has understated cameos from Vanessa Carlton and Stephan Jenkins simply needs to be heard."

Beautiful, thought-provoking, and clever.

Ashley Russell | Covina, Ca | 05/11/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"When my roommate handed me Hidden Vagenda and told me to give it a listen, I was apprehensive. I mean, who is going to give much creedence to a cover that looks like it was Photoshopped by a 12-year-old? How insanely glad am I that I actually listened.



Every song is amazing, he lyrics are clever and often heartbreaking. Her voice is something that almost fades into the background until some lyrics pops out and tells you to listen.



I was in my car driving home one night listening to the CD when suddenly the lyrics to "Anthrax" caught my ear. She captured the emotion of the September 11, 2001 attacks better than anyone else ever could. There is no false sense of patriotism, just bare observation and raw emotion.



Give Kimya a chance, you won't be dissappointed."