Pros: Four good tracks, some really great harmonies from Watt and Thorn...
Cons: Largely unemotional, blank, and boring...
The Bottom Line: Everything but the Girl just isn't for me. I don't much like Thorn's voice and on Amplified Heart the songs are just too carefully produced.
lambchops's Full Review: Amplified Heart by Everything But The Girl
There’s been a great deal of hype surrounding Everything but the Girl over the course of the last fifteen years. I must be honest here—I didn’t discover them until the release of the hit single Missing. It didn’t impress me particularly, but it did make me curious as to what the duo was all about.
So what did I do? I picked up three of their albums beginning with Walking Wounded (1996) followed by Idlewild (1988) and finally (as a last ditch effort to find something special about the band) Amplified Heart (1994). I chose those albums in that order for a reason. First off, they were all well received and garnered largely positive reviews. Secondly, I didn’t want to automatically pick up the duo’s most popular album (Amplified Heart) just because of the hit single and end up looking like a jerk because I didn’t know anything about EBTG.
Of course, now I’m a bit miffed at myself for choosing to pursue EBTG at all. I really want to like their music—heck, it must be popular for some reason. But in the end, I’m just left with a hollow and disconnected feel. Tracey Thorn and Ben Watt certainly know how to make music; unfortunately I get the distinct impression that neither of them really enjoys what they do. In all three albums I’ve had the (dis)pleasure of checking out one thing is constant—they are sterile and emotionless.
Despite my previous bad experiences with both Idlewild and Walking Wounded I went in to Amplified Heart with high hopes. As one of the Thorn and Watt’s more acoustic offerings, it certainly seemed on the surface that it could be appealing. I suppose on one level this is true. The songs are executed well, arranged nicely, and impeccably produced but they entirely lack emotion. I can see how some people adore Thorn’s disaffected, disjointed vocals but they don’t do anything for me as a general rule. Rather, I’m left with the distinct impression that I’m listening to some kind of modern Muzak.
Much of the album has the same ho-hum pace. It’s slow, it’s melodic, and it is falsely melancholic. Amplified Heart opens with a trio of sound alike tracks— Rollercoaster, Troubled Mind, and I Don’t Understand Anything. It’s all about love (or confusion over the topic). The sound is consistent and the songs are all pretty much of a similar ilk.
There are occasionally forays into slightly different areas. For example, I really am fond of Walking to You pairs vocals from both Watt and Thorn. Watt, in particular, is what I like about the offering. He sounds as though he knows what he is singing about. He’s telling a story with both lyrics and vocals—it all works brilliantly (much more so than the boring opening trilogy of tracks). As Amplified Heart plods along, I find myself confused by Get Me. Again, it sounds good but the instrumentation is confused and the direction is lacking—EBTG songs rarely have a real beginning or end. They just fade back into the shadows from whence they came.
The centerpiece of this album is obviously Missing. In its original form it is dramatic, rich, and melodic. It is by far the best offering of Amplified Heart. Thorn still is lacking in the honesty department, but in the context of this less acoustic offering that characteristic is easier to accept. And, for what it’s worth, Missing is also included in the remixed form at the end of the album. This is the version that the vast majority of listeners will be best acquainted with. Don’t think you know the song? Don’t be so sure about it…
It's years since you've been there.
Now you've disappeared
Somewhere like outer space,
You've found some better place,
And I miss you -
Like the desert miss the rain.
There is little about Amplified Heart that can compete with Missing. I’ve already mentioned the outstanding Walking to You. The only other outstanding moment is Disenchanted. For once Thorn seems to possess some iota of emotion. It works for her on this simple, evocative track populated by nothing more than a saxophone and acoustic guitar. We Walk the Same Line is also worth mentioning, if for no other reason than it is actually (gasp!) upbeat. Plus, I am again impressed by the vocal pairing of Thorn and Watt. The remaining two songs are forgettable. They are missing (pardon the pun) that special something that makes for an outstanding album. Two Star, 25th December do very little for me outside of boring me to sleep.
Moments of Amplified Heart do seem honest or at least prove entertaining--Walking to You, Missing, We Walk the Same Line and Disenchanted. Unfortunately four songs do not constitute an album. Again, I really wanted to enjoy EBTG. I’ve now officially purchased three albums (in addition to the EP Five Fathoms) and have yet to make any sort of connection. EBTG just isn’t for me. Period.
Rating: 3/5 stars
Track Listing:
01. Rollercoaster
02. Troubled Mind
03. I Don’t Understand Anything
04. Walking to You
05. Get Me
06. Missing
07. Two Star
08. We Walk the Same Line
09. 25th December
10. Disenchanted
11. Missing [remix]
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