I got a nice surprise when I arrived at home late today, Memory loves you had already arrived from CDOn!
Listening the second time right now and, well you know it already, of course it's a great album! It's very Sophie, as usual. Listening with headphones it feels like she's right there whispering in your ears...
Unfortunately I haven't been able to listen that active and reading the lyrics yet, but a few observations:
* The album comes in a paper wrapper, with the plastic cover inside. The paper wrapper is black with only the name and the album title, the "other cover" is the picture of Sophie, that is in the plastic case.
* I somehow get a Bob Dylanish feeling on some of the songs. Not that it comes as surprise, but especially the guitar in
Broken sunny day, perhaps the fastest of the songs, with a bluesy guitar kicking in right from the start and a great solo at the end as the song gets into its climax.
* Regarding the discussion earlier in another thread about Sophie's belief in God, or lack thereof, one of the songs is particularly clear about this, if it's autobiographical. "
Love on my mind" starts with the lyrics: "
Oh, my Lord. Why have you done my kisses blind. Why do you end what has just begun" and later on "
Oh, my trust, why don't you help no more, I used to be so sure". Sounds to me of a faith lost expressed as if it's God who's walked away. But still not without hope, but rather more of a lament.
That song, by the way, starts really delicate but ends in full strength with drums and strings. Well, it goes back to the delicacy for the last verse.
* On the same theme, or I might be overinterpreting, "
Now you know" could be about either God or a close friend. "
It's quite strange for me to talk, to speak to you this way, I can't see your face when I give my love away. You can only hear I'm still with you. And I might believe that will do" is a beautiful ending of that song, somehow giving herself into the other one's arms. Would be interesting to hear other people's interpretation of this song.
* Someone said from listening to the excerpts that
I got yours would become a favourite. Although probably not my very favourite it's a great song, starting with just a guitar and Sophie's intimate, whispering voice (but later building up with strings etc.).
* Although it's Sophie as we know her it's also good to hear some new experiments with instruments here and there. It's the little details in the way her albums are produced that can make a song become better and better for each listen. For example in "
Sorrow", there's, I think, a vibraphone discreetly in the background that contributes considerably to the "sound image".
It's too early to compare to other albums, but there are some gems on this one for sure. I find it increasingly more difficult to rate Sophie's albums and songs for each new album, as they are fairly consistent in the way they sound. There's a lot of Lars Halapi on this one too....
I'm not a musician, so these are just some very spontaneous observations as my other plans for the evening were overtaken by "Memory loves you".
Now I only have to decide if there will be one, two or even three concerts when she comes to southern Sweden in March....
/Daniel