Loading ...Almost Good Albums
Brian: Jeff Buckley – Grace (1994): Man, what a tragic end to an otherwise world-beater-to-be career. Jeff Buckley, son of famed but underappreciated musician Tim Buckley, finds himself on a list of artists who died too young but without the requisite sad sack story (Kurt Cobain) or ongoing feud (Tupac) to make himself known, both in life and posthumously, to the kind of public he deserved.
In the fall of 1995, I was graced (pun intended) with one of Buckley’s earliest and finest performances at the Trocadero in Philly. The catch was that we were at the venue to check out Juliana Hatfield, who did nothing to quell my obsession with female vocalists, but were treated to the new-to-the-scene Buckley as the opener. When I say this guy “killed it,” I mean this guy played such a set that Hatfield actually came on stage before her set and said, “I mean…how do I follow that? Jeff Buckley everyone!”
And so my fandom with Buckley was born.
When I purchased his album shortly thereafter, I remember being drawn, as so many Buckley fans were, to “Last Goodbye.” Still one of my favorite songs, particularly for its bridge, it marked the beginning of a career whose limits were boundless. Fully absorbed with Buckley’s mesmerizing vocals, I began to immerse myself in “Mojo Pin,” “Grace,” and “Eternal Life,” all of which stamped Buckley’s diversity as much as his inherent talent.
But that’s where the almost comes in to play. The rest of the album, save for his brilliant cover of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallejauh,” seems forced and unnecessarily multi-genre. The only facet that precludes this from appearing on another AlmostAthletes’ list is its lack of continuity, which would have come had Buckley not died bizarrely and tragically like his father (Jeff, while swimming in a channel of the Mississippi River; Tim, as the result of a heated argument/dare that led to a heroin overdose).
Fans wish Buckley was still around to hypnotize us with his lyrics and falsetto to prove that his career would have been anything but “almost famous.”
Dave: Jack’s Mannequin – The Glass Passenger (2008): Like most Jack’s Mannequin fans, after Everything in Transit and the work he did when he was with Something Corporate, I couldn’t wait for his new album to come out. Then I heard Swim and was convinced this new album had a solid chance to be fantastic. Then I bought it and immediately regretted the purchase.
I don’t know if ole’ Jack got a girlfriend, or kicked drugs, or found God or something, but this album just didn’t have the same stuff as his first one. While songs like “Crashin’,” “Spinning,” “The Resolution,” and “Hammers and Strings” really grabbed my attention, songs like “Annie Use Your Telescope,” “American Love,” and “Miss California” made me want to snap the album in half, drink a beer, and kill an animal just to feel like a man again. So this album gets the nod from me as almost good because it had so much potential, and then the bottom just fell out.
Sieck: Blue October – Foiled (2006): In a day and age full of The Jonas Brothers, High School Musical and Boom Boom Pow, one must give some props to an original band such as Blue October that’s making original, thought-provoking music that isn’t so light and fluffy and meaningless and annoying that it could cause someone to open up their own jugular. Furthermore, any rock act that dares to incorporate a violin player into their fold has got guts, and deserves a listen. And, I feel that I’ve given Foiled a fair chance. After all, frontman Justin Furstenfeld has obviously been through his share of pain, and he communicates it to everyone relatively well as he takes listeners through songs about addiction and finding human connection in the big, bad world. Everyone can relate to the latter. Therefore, there are legitimately good songs on the disc such as the single Hate Me, the droning (in a good way) X Amount of Words and the closing ballad 18th Floor Balcony.
This cover art is just plain lazy.
However, quite frankly, many of the songs on Foiled don’t really have any hooks, and I often find myself tuning out while listening. One thing that the more insidious acts in the industry have over Blue October is that some of those awful songs are sometimes impossible to jar loose from the cranium. The songs on this album pretty much plod along and while their sound is robust, I didn’t find them memorable. Additionally, Furstenfeld’s voice isn’t incredibly strong, and that often makes his constant whining seem self-indulgent and a little less bearable. Whining in music can certainly be effective when done properly (see Dashboard Confessional), but when it’s just whining, it’s about as appealing as getting hit on by the cougar at the bar who won’t take “no” for an answer, and insists that her target share a Jacuzzi with her cellulite so she can show off her new thong bikini.
im not a big fan of jacks mannequin. something corporate was okay, but jacks mannequin, in my point of view, stinks.