A mixture of the sublime and the banal, it works somehow
07/15/1998
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Yes, they have ethereal vocals over sometimes surreal guitar, but wipe that smug expression off your face, you haven't found the right pidgeonhole for this album and band yet. It's just one of those things, and they're just one of those bands, the often mentioned cliche of "you're either going to love 'em or hate 'em" is doubly applicable here. Sparse, gentle, hurtful, precious, a whole host of contradictions. Whilst not every song hits the mark with precision, it is indicative of how good the album is when their "low" points are still great performances. The low point for me is the cover of that old Cars chestnut "Drive", which is let down by poor production, however Merida Sussex's beautiful voice is as fragile and powerful as always, sweet poison to these jaded ears. The highpoints include "Dead Beats" with Merida growling about "dead beat boys and dead beat girls". Simple but effective, and it means something to any! ! one who has spent far too much time and money in smoke filled pubs and bars trying to find god knows what or whom, being, incidentally the best place to hear the Paradise Motel play live, (something I've been lucky enough to do many a time). "Daniel" is simply one of the most gloriously joyous songs ever written and is beautifully realised, using a simple melody, rising and crashing all over the place towards the end like a creche full of kids on red cordial, the sting in the tail is the lyrics themselves, of course, about summer, cruelty and loss. Imagine being held by the woman you love standing three feet from the Paradise Motel as they play this song, feeling such bliss that the lead singer smiles at your tears and it all still feels right, and you're part of the way to understanding how great the song is. It is a group effort of course, I can't simply heap praise on Merrida for having ripped the vocal chords from an angel and implanted them into her throat, the ! ! band create powerful soundscapes, the three guitarists Char! les Bickford, Matthew Aulich, Matthew Bailey, the drummer Tim O' Shanassy and B.J Austin on keyboards work together well enough not to obscure each other or Merida, creating great songs, which is what this whole malarkey is about. I openly admit that I love the band and their music, which possibly makes me biased, but hell, who wants to be objective when you can drown within their glorious sounds instead?"
Sit back, relax and stick this on the stereo.
01/18/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"From the opening track, this is a perfect mix of all the elements that a great album should have. The melodies gently lull in the background, while Merida Sussex provides the vocals that are both stunningly sweet and yet at the same time immensly fragile. This album is hard to pick favourites from, but "Derwent River Star", "BH Rock" and "Dead Beats" are the tracks that I skip to If I havn't got time to listen to the whole album. These are the type of songs that you are glad you can't get out of your head when you hum them walking to work. If you love this,(and you will) I suggest you seek out "Trailer Park" by Beth Orton. Both these albums are produced by Victor Van Vugt, and have the same superb, subtle sound. I assure you that one night at the Paradise Motel, and you'll be coming back again and again."
Artistic pleasure
mark SandlE | Tasmania | 03/28/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"A fantastic smooth album from these fellow Tasmanians, you'll be hooked from the opening track 'Aeroplanes'. They sound like Portishead without the harsh beats. Outstanding Tracks - 'Dead Beats', 'Caravans' (featuring a sample of Visage's 'Fade To Grey'), 'Daniel' & 'Derwent River Star' which I'm sure they named that track after The major river in Tasmania. I also recommend the 'Reworkings' album [the Remix Album]."
