7 Ed Harcourt Strangers Astralwerks | 2004 | Album Biography Comments (0) Read Full Page Digg Review Add del.icio.us   There has always been an eloquent aspect to Ed Harcourt’s moody and melancholic folkie-based music, even when he dabbles with overt pop. Then think of Nick Drake, Elliott Smith, and Electric Light Orchestra recording together in the studio, and out comes Harcourt's third sterling effort. The British artist's sometimes dark and personal musings are again the focal points here although on some tracks carry a silver lining, more so on the forceful opening track “The Storm is Coming,” probably his most intense track to date in which he declares against a rocking backdrop, “Gonna pull myself together/You can see I’m coming back.” The heavily-orchestral “Let Love Not Weigh Me Down” is as dramatic and reaffirming as the title track is whimsical and upbeat; both convey the new found sense of optimism and romance. Harcourt’s Gothic tendencies, however, are not far behind in the whispery and intimate violent scenarios of “The Trapdoor” and the macabre of “Black Dress” (with the lines, “To me our lives are fast approaching death/So let’s go out in my suit and your black dress my dear”). Harcourt can deliver performances that are both quite exuberant (“Loneliness”) and intimate (the stark, acoustic-laden “Something to Live For”) in stylings verging from folk to cabaret. This British troubadour deserves a wider audience in the States. David Chiu Comments (0) Help Support Kevchino - Use these links to buy new music.

Releases Ed Harcourt - Strangers Astralwerks - 2004 - Album Artist Website Ed Harcourt - Official Website