spacer

Blog

Blog
Kingdom Of Comfort
Last modified: 04 Feb 2008

I've just added my review of new album Kingdom Of Comfort to Delirious.org.uk and here are a few more thoughts about it.

Kingdom Of Comfort

Getting used to a new album is a mix of emotions. There's the excitement of what's new, the eagerness to learn the songs, and the unfamiliarity of listening to something that's not quite what you've heard before whilst still being somewhat familiar. Everyone has their own taste, and you listen out for that musical formula that directly meets your requirements. For me, I need certain things to enjoy music. When the ingredients in the music add up to what my brain knows it likes, I develop a bond with the music. Some songs instantly jump out and find a place in my sonical appetite, others take a while to convince me.

With Kingdom Of Comfort there were several songs that I knew from the first listen were going to be the 5/5 star rated songs in the review. Love Will Find A Way, Break The Silence and My Soul Sings all have the perfect ingredients. The first two have choruses that stick, begging to be sung, and guitar riffs that make you smile. My Soul Sings has that intense, emotional, close-your-eyes and stare-in-wonderment feeling to it that I can only compare to Take Off My Shoes from previous album The Mission Bell. There are two measures I use to know how much I love a song. One, I keep singing it to myself when I've turned off the iPod. Two, when the song ends I have to hit the back button and listen to it again straight away. This morning as I drove to work I did both those things with My Soul Sings. It could become an all time favourite.

Wonder is another song that I absolutely love. It just missed out on a top rank because I'm not sure the 'sweet heart' reference feels right, but the chorus (it's always the choruses I love) is just so infectious - absolutely amazing. I remember enjoying Stare The Monster down at the Living Room gig, but now I've really taken it in properly I can fully appreciate the lyrics. I mentioned several times in the review just how good the song writing is on this album, and it really has impressed me how well the words deal with difficult subjects like poverty and cancer.

And another thing - where's the 2/5 rated song? For me, every Delirious? album has one song that I could live without. Love Is A Miracle (The Mission Bell), Everyone Knows (World Service), America (Audio Lessonover) - OK don't shoot me, one man's least favourite is another man's favourite - I realise that, but the point is, I always find one song that in my opinion is only worth 2/5 stars. I couldn't do it this time. Eagle Rider came close. But the more I listened the more I had to up its score to 3/5.

My opinions of the songs will change. This is just a review based on first impressions and to be honest, my track record isn't great. In a moment of utter inexplicable madness I rated Take Off My Shoes 3/5 in my initial Mission Bell review. Within a few months it became not only my favourite on the album, but my all time favourite Delirious? song. So don't pay too much attention to me now, other than to believe me when I say that Kingdom Of Comfort is an absolutely stunning album that I can't stop listening to.