I've just downloaded Darren Hayes' new album "This Delicate Thing We've Made". This is a review I posted on my blog...
www.rfrancis51284.uni.cc wrote:Two common things I hear whenever the name Darren Hayes is mentioned are that people don’t realise who he is until you mention Savage Garden songs and then the moment you do they make a sort of disinterested noise because they assume that Darren’s solo music has stayed on the Savage Garden formula. Its kind of amusing to me that a band who sold over 25 MILLION albums have this uncool stigma and snobbery surrounding them. I bet you know someone who bought an album. What’s the point of my saying this in relation to a review? Well the fact is its about time these misconceptions and this stigma was thoroughly lain to rest because this album and this man are genius. ‘This Delicate Thing We’ve Made’ is progression from the dark ‘The Tension And The Spark’. This latest album is a gorgeously rich huge sounding electronic album. You have to admire this man for not sticking to the same formula and not being afraid to experiment and grow. The moment the album started playing it sucked me in with the jaw dropping and thumping opening track ‘Fear Of Falling Under’. This blends into the stunning ‘Who Would Have Thought’ (co-written with Guy Chambers and one of the best songs I’ve heard Chambers collaborate/ co-write in a very very long time). I cant get enough of this song. I find Darren’s vocals, the chorus, the melody all hugely addictive. Other favourites include ‘Waking The Monster’, ‘How To Build A Time Machine’, ‘Conversation With God’ - you can almost feel the car driving over the bridge in this absolutely stunning song, ‘Neverland’ is so beautiful but so incredibly clever, the darkness of the lyrics is at complete contrast to the childlike innocence of the melody. The first single ‘On The Verge Of Something Wonderful’ a huge uplifting addictively catchy pop song. Then there is the incredible pop anthem ‘Listen All You People’, the throbbing and catchy ‘Setting Sun’, Princesque ‘Me, Myself & I’, reminiscent of Portishead ‘The Only One’, the all equally gorgeous ‘Sing To Me’, ‘Words’, ‘Maybe’ and ‘Walk Away’. The most out there track that you’d never in a million years guess was Darren Hayes is ‘Bombs Up In My Face’ thats not to say its not a great track but its not what you’d expect either, this is what I mean by don’t judge this album before you listen to it. Its full of surprizes. This is an album that you will listen to time and time again and love, this is an album you will listen to in twenty years and it will sound as fresh and exciting as the first time you played it. Darren named his influences as people such as Kate Bush and Peter Gabriel and whilst there are touches of what made these people unique and special that you can pick up on, this is a highly original album. It sounds like nothing around today, its a much needed breathe of fresh air. This is huge, symphonic, electronic and pop at its very very best. This album is not someone bending their creativity to fit in with what the media find acceptable or sticking to a formula just to sell records, this is someone who has made an album they want to be proud of with real passion . Does Darren Hayes have a right to be proud? HELL YES.
