You wore white. Where are you now?

[helikedmyshoes]

Another assignment done.

*relief*

[And I actually like what I wrote. Shock of all shocks.]

Still have to finish Apocalypse Now Redux and type up notes on it, but I have to wait for Maria to get home so that we can watch it together. I'm enjoying it so far, but if the puppy dies, I'm turning it off.

And after that I have to study Chemistry because we have yet another quiz tomorrow. I really need to start doing better on these quizzes. I did very poorly on the first one. When we got them back, I turned to Adam and was all, "Thank God I'm taking the class pass/fail. [Pause.] Of course, at this point I'm failing, so maybe it's not so good." Sigh. Maybe if she actually *taught*, I'd understand it better.

Whatever.

So, I've heard a few of the songs from Sarah McLachlan's new album [go to sarahmclachlan or, more specifically, here to download them], and I must say I'm sorta disappointed. So far, it's just been Surfacing, the Sequel. The lyrics leave something to be desired, and while it's great that we're FINALLY getting new stuff, I'd rather it not be something I can slit my wrists to.

I guess that's always been my major problem with Sarah, though. Her music, her messages, her themes, they never change. They're all about love and lost love. Which is great, love's big with everyone, but she's stuck on them. I don't feel that she's grown as an artist. How could she have when she's singing about the exact same things she was singing about before? And one would think that in six years, with the death of her mother and the birth of her daughter, her songwriting would reflect the changes she's gone through.

From Stupid:

How stupid could I be?
A simpleton could see
That you're no good for me
But you're the only one I see

What the fuck? This can't hold a candle to anything off Fumbling [which I consider her best album].

I hate to bring up this comparison, but I can't help it. With Tori, her music has changed and grown as she herself has. I like that she incorporates other aspects of life into her songs than just hiding behind all the pain and cliches of love. She's romantic, but not sappy. Sarah is sappy. She's got some beautiful songs and some incredible lyrics [Ice springs to mind right off the bat], but I always feel like there's something missing. She doesn't put herself into those songs all the way, which leaves me with this detached feeling when I listen to her.

I guess I feel as though I've outgrown Sarah in some respects. I'm still going to buy her CD, of course, and I'm sure I'm going to love it. But it won't be the only thing I listen to for 2 years, which was what happened with Surfacing.

Entertainment Weekly said it best. "She's back, and she's bummed. High-school-diary sentiments ("I have sunk so low/I've messed up") combine with predictably tasteful, antiseptic production to announce a new genre-music for those who get depressed during massages. After a six-year layoff, shouldn't she be more jazzed for a return?"

Just thoughts.

Comments

[queenvirginia.livejournal.com]

I agree completely - I've been thinking this and not wanting to say it. I haven't really listened to much of her new stuff yet, except Fallen (I just downloaded it, thanks for the link)... but I feel like I've outgrown a lot of her old stuff (some of it is still incredible, of course, but a lot of it feels like... adolescence). It's so... angsty and sometimes overdone, and yes, sappy. And I feel like I'm betraying someone when I say that, because Surfacing got me through several very tough years, and I still have emotions connected to those songs - but I can also see that some of the lyrics are sort of childish. I was really hoping that this CD would restore my faith, but it looks like maybe we've just outgrown her. How sad is that?

[helikedmyshoes.livejournal.com]

Oh, good! I'm really glad that I'm not the only one having these thoughts. I downloaded the four songs I found so far, and I was really disappointed with them all.

I agree, a lot of it does feel very adolescent. It's like se's perpetually stuck in the 9th grade. I feel terrible saying it too, Surfacing was all I listened to for 2 whole years, but I can't help it.

but it looks like maybe we've just outgrown her. How sad is that?

It's terrible. Thank God for Tori.

[queenvirginia.livejournal.com]

Yeah, 9th grade, completely.

I've been making all these icons lately, a lot with Sarah lyrics, and it made me think about it... her songs are so easily reducible to one "meaningful" line, y' know? They look good on an icon with a pretty, sad picture. And not that some aren't really meaningful, and that incredible songs can't be cut into one-liners (that's some of the power of the best songs is those amazing couple of words), but a lot of other stuff I've been listening to lately (as an example, Elliott Smith), is really hard to put on an icon, because it's so much more complex and methaphorical and poetic. Sarah's song lyrics, if read without music, sound like bad high school poetry.

God, I'm bashing her so bad! I do still really love some of her stuff. I guess it's just nice to be able to say this, finally. I'm so glad you agree!

[helikedmyshoes.livejournal.com]

Oh, they totally are! And that's not to say that that in itself isn't brilliant, because to be able to come up with that one line that just gets you right in the heart takes talent. But they really do sound ike bad high school poetry, especially the new ones.

I know, I feel really bad for saying all this, but it's the truth. And at least I'm not the only one! ;)

[http://users.livejournal.com/_venus_/]

I haven't heard anything except for Fallen yet, but I believe you -- you are the Sarah expert, after all.

It sucks, though. *sighs* Of course, I'll still buy every CD she releases, I don't think I could just NOT, but ... I have to agree, it seems like Fumbling was her peak.

*sighs* I kinda hope she proves us all wrong and that after this, her next album blows us away. You really would think that she'd have more stuff with all that's been going on ...

[helikedmyshoes.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I'm with you. I'll buy her stuff, but I don't think I'll really be able to enjoy it as much as I once did. Fumbling was definitely her creative peak, and Surfacing was up there but definitely not as high.

I hope so, too, but then I look at her past albums and I know she won't. They're ALL THE SAME. She hasn't changed in over a decade, I doubt she's going to start now.

[mishamcm.livejournal.com]

So true about Sarah, IMHO. I'll stick with Tori and Counting Crows. I like THEIR depressing songs.

[helikedmyshoes.livejournal.com]

You and me both. And with both of them coming out with Best Ofs, that's just what I'll do. :)