Listeners who thought Sixpence None the Richers' selftitled album from 1997 with hits like "Kiss Me" and "There She Goes" will surely be surprised to hear the music of this album.
"This Beautiful Mess" from 1995 is actually the band's second album, and it shows a less polished side of the band. Though the vocals of Leigh Nash are soft and beautiful as we know them, the music is rawer and at times even slightly aggressive is with distorted guitars and heavy drums.
The songwriting is generally less immediately melodic, but the songs are bound to grow on you after a couple of listens. Some tracks could easily be compared to indie bands like the Cranberries or even early Radiohead.
A standout tracks is Matt Slocum's "Within a Room Somewhere", which contains both soft melodic elements as well as raw distorted guitars. Other fine tracks are the group-composition "Garden", Tess Wiley's "Disconnect" and Slocom's "Maybe Tomorrow". My personal favourite, though, is the beautiful "Circle of Error", also written by Slocum. This is probably the song that comes closest the the sound of their later records.
A highly recommendable album
October 18, 2008The album was a nice surprise for me, I had their latest albums and I never knew how was the sound at their beginning. In some ways it remains me The Sundays, with this guitar-heavy melodies and the angel voice from Leigh Nash is remarkable, also the lyrics are very poetic and inspirational. It is really worth to have this album.
October 2, 2008 |  | A dozen years later, still one of my all time favourites |  |
In 1995, this album felt like a natural progression from "the Fatherless and the Widow," just as that album had evolved from "the Original Demos." When their eponymous album was released, it seemed like an odd tangent. Now that we can look back over the entire catalog of Sixpence's songs (and it's sad that we can do so already), it is more clear that it was "This Beautiful Mess" that was a departure from the core of what Sixpence has become. Of course, there were occasional glimpses of Sixpence as a rock band, such as "Sad But True" and "Paralyzed," but for more than a decade I have longed for more of what this album gave me. Anytime I play this CD, I am instantly transported to the time I first became acquainted with this brilliant album, to the time when this album changed my life. It never fails to evoke an emotional response. There is a very short list of albums that I enjoy from start to finish, and this is one of them. Even after all of these years, it is still thoroughly enjoyable. Sixpence is a band that shot to international fame on the back of what may very well be the weakest song in their catalog (that's the industry for ya). But compare and contrast their pop hits with this album, which is full of raw and gritty substance. "This Beautiful Mess" is an overlooked gem that I tell everyone about. "Kiss Me" is the song that made them huge, but this is the album that made them big. They could have gone anywhere from here. I wonder what direction they would have gone had Tess Wiley stayed in the band, or had they continued to rock without her. To quote one of the (too) many covers Sixpence recorded, "nothing sadder than the words 'it might have been.'" At least they left us with this one.
November 30, 2007| | | Sixpence at its finest!!!! | |
This album is truly remarkable. Fans of Kiss Me beware! This one will rock your socks off! From the strong opening track "Angeltread" to the perfect finisher "I Can't Explain" Sixpence delivers. Guitarist/backup vocalist Tess Wiley provides an element that is missing from later Sixpence releases and Leigh Nash's vocals make this a truly one of a kind album. The songwriting is crafted in an artful way, much more than their later releases. This was one of the best albums of 1995 and the best Sixpence ever!
July 1, 2006Why did this band Break up!?!?!? I'm suprised that these earlier Sixpence records didn't get the airtime it deserved on the radio. Sixpence SHOULD be the hottest thing right now if it weren't for their hiatus.
This Album is Great! Get this + The Fatherless and the Widow + Divine Discontent + The self Titled... It's Worth ALL of the Money, Trust Me... You won't be disappointed, and You might never experience the sight of this band ever again...:(
September 29, 2005More reviews at Amazon.com ...
