Search - Lullaby for Working Class :: Blanket Warm

The most incredible break-up album ever

10/18/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"nothing at all is left to say but goodbye.-lullaby// if that isn't one of the most truthful and emotionally bare statements of loss, i don't know what is. Getting this album just shortly before i broke up with a girl from what was my most intense relationship thus far, i'd have to argue that this album is more a sweeping, poetic cry-in-your- vermouth/beer masterpiece which chronicles the fall and dissillusionment of a relationship, than something to just doze off to on a sleepy day. although at times it does have a beutiful current of melodious stringed instruments reminiscent of a midwestern folk band from a forgotten time, it rides through the broken heart and the battered spirit with such subtle intensity as to have the listenener take on the states of emotion and personal pain of the singer/persona. The album is in a sense one song, which progresses through the first half with stories of lonely lives lack of compassion and light. Halfway through one is faced with an aside which i consider to be one of the most romantic ditties not recorded by van morrison. After this comes the second half, which begins with a story of a troubled and alienated soul whose only solace can be found in sleeping with the radio on. As we listen to the rest of the album, we realize that all this sturm und rang that has come before stems from the persona's relationship with a woman who was both his queen and his soul-destroyer. By the final climax, one is left screaming along with the persona against a girlfriend who never was true or sincere. the album ends with a soft, comforting call for the persona (and the affected listener) to forget the weight of this world and all the disillusionment in it, and to just rest under a blanket warm. note: this album is a great breakup album for anyone, girls and guys. ORiginal. Moving beyond belief. This album cries for our sorrows."

Almost-orchestral country sleepytime music

09/01/1998

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Lullaby for the Working Class is one hell of a long name for a band, but I forgive them because they write wonderful, organic, lush, and almost childlike songs that are perfect for putting a baby to sleep on your chest while sitting in a rocking chair. The album's opener, "Good Morning," gets one ready for what will follow throughout: a prettily picked acoustic guitar melody, which gets built upon eventually by banjos, bells, violins, and drums. Songs open with soft strums and xylophones, chirping crickets, and all sorts of happy, sleepy sounds. The lyrics are a bit oblique at times, but the music is rich and organic enough (and loud enough in the mix) that one doesn't get overwhelmed by their periodic nonsensical pomposity. Which differs from a similar band, Lambchop, who play absolutely stunning orchestral country that gets mixed quietly below the smirking smart-ass-isms of frontman Kurt Wagner, whose cleverness ruins the otherwise beautiful mood. If Lambchop ever release an instrumental version of "How I Quit Smoking," it may very well rival "Pet Sounds" for top spot on my D.I.D. list. For now, when I'm in the mood for lovely, multi-instrument country naptime music, I'll reach for "Blanket Warm.""

Broken Hearts, Awash With Rye

Ti m Bamber | Norwich, UK | 08/03/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"So people ask me what my favourite band is? "Well, Lullaby For the Working Class," I reply, sensing the confusion clogging the air. "No,what is your favourite band, not your favourite song." Well, to cunningly incorporate this anecdote into this review, I can simply state: Lullaby For the Working Class: Good Morning." How's this for an opening vignette?: "Good Morning, said the sun to the building, you look like you've been up all night, waiting for my answer. There's no more room in heaven, but when you crumble down, your bricks will lay foundations for new structures, roads and towns." And thus sets the tone for the album; the redemption of the heart set to a mellow and melodic tune that will have you reaching for your bourbon and itching to write paeons of pleasant satisfaction. Lyrically, it's as if your favourite poet sang for your favourite band..."words drip from lips hardly parting,""the laundromat, the liqour store are hibernating...this winter's bayonet." A heartwarming, truly beautiful album which does, as the title suggests, leave you feeling "Blanket Warm.""