10,000 Maniacs - Our Time in Eden

The last album the band recorded before lead singer Natalie Merchant departed for a solo career, Our Time in Eden is the actualization of an unassuming college folk-rock band turned adult-contemporary group in the best possible way. Merchant's lullaby voice is more pure and confident than ever before. And although the music is still dominated by chiming rhythm guitar, the band incorporates an emphatic horn section on several tracks (most notably on "Candy Everybody Wants"). The best track is the sentimental swan song "These Are Days," which will evoke a distant smile and maybe even a teary eye, no matter how hard you try not to let it. --Beth Massa Amazon.com essential recording

superb!

This cd really delivers. It is their best work since In My Tribe. It actually rivals (though doesn't surpass) IMT. Noah's Dove is absolutely beautiful and haunting at the same time - best song on the cd. Circle Dream is very beautiful and melodic - close your eyes and listen to it, you'll love it. These Are Days is their best definitive hit. Stockton Gala Days is lovely in it's own right. I'm Not The Man has a very nice ring to it also. This cd never gets old and can be listened to years after its release. EVERY Natalie Merchant fan should get this and listen to her at her best. September 17, 2007

How they've grown.

I know alot of people love the "In My Tribe" album, and my favorite might be "Blind Man's Zoo", but I think this is their best, and is easily their most popular album. "Our Time In Eden" benefited by coming out at the height of the alternative craze, and "These Are Days" seemed to be a theme for more than a few people I knew. That was the big hit, but "Candy Everybody Wants" was another, as well as a few minor hits that made their "Unplugged" and "Campfire Songs" collections. By the time of this release, 10,000 Maniacs had really become more adult-alternative rock than college-rock, and you can hear where Natalie Merchant was headed on her first solo album in 1995. No complaint though, this is all good stuff. Personal favorites of mine would be the opener "Noah's Dove" and "Circle Dream", both beautiful and catchy. Truth is, they were/are a wonderful band, and any of the above mentioned albums are a joy to hear. January 22, 2006

Films For Radio

Yes, to the very few of you have realized, I borrowed the title for this review from the title of a (completely fabulous by the way) album by Over The Rhine. That said Films For Radio describes perfectly, the music contained on Our Time in Eden.

Each song, both musically and lyrically is extremely emotive, Our Time In Eden is probably the Maniacs album where the disparity between the light pop-folk melodies and Natalie Merchant's dark, moody lyrics was at it's least, in part due to a slight lightening up of Merchant's subject matter, allowing for a more streamlined sound here than on previous efforts.

The album hasn't aged a day in the 13 years since it's relaese, Natalie's vocals are confident and clear and the music perhaps more experimental than previous works by the band is just beautiful

The standouts here are the lovely single These Are Days, Stockton Gala Days, Noah's Dove and Tolerence.

Sit back, close your eyes and let these songs, the melodies and the words from images in your mind. March 18, 2005

One of my favorite bands of all time

10,000 Maniacs (with Natalie Merchant) made some of the most unique music of their time, that never achieved a great deal of commercial success...not like some of the groups you hear practically every day...Nickelback, Alice In Chains, Stone Temple Pilots, etc. I would guess that their music gets more airplay overall now than it did when it was new, especially since Natalie Merchant has had some success as a solo artist.

The fact that you didn't hear 10,000 Maniacs songs every 5 minutes on the radio is one of the things I loved most about them. I never had the chance to get sick of their music. The original 10,000 Maniacs wrote some of the best music of their time, in my opinion...rich melodies, stunning vocals, and intelligent lyrics.

Their sound changed/evolved from CD to CD, but still maintained a uniqueness of sound and style I've not heard before or since. Our Time In Eden is the most polished of the bunch. I think their most unique sounding CD was their debut CD, The Wishing Chair. A few of the songs, like Scorpio Rising and Lilydale, were never really replicated by the Maniacs again. Some of Natalie's solo work sounds similar to songs like Lilydale, but that's it.

The Maniacs wrote many great songs over the years: Can't Ignore the Train, Lilydale, Scorpio Rising, YMaddox Table, You Happy Puppet, Trouble Me, What's The Matter Here?, The Painted Desert, Don't Talk, Hey Jack Kerouac, Cherry Tree, City of Angels, These Are Days, Stockton Gala Days, Noah's Dove, Gold Rush Brides, Eden, Few February 22, 2005

Best thing they ever did

Everything came together wiht this one - songwriting, instrumentation, production, and just that groove of a great record. You don't really tire of listening to this one. It's a pity it was their last. October 24, 2004

More reviews at Amazon.com ...