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Saeta: We
Are Waiting for All Hope
If Saeta had meticulously planned an album just to blow me away, We Are All Waiting for Hope is basically what theyd come up with. The album was produced by Steve Albini, who, among countless other projects, was recently behind the boards for Cineramas Torino album, one of my recent favorites. Subtle production might not leap out at you when you hear Albinis name, but he has been working in that direction with a bit of success lately, and Saetas release is all about subtlety and frail beauty with its gentle cellos, sparse acoustic guitar, strong piano, and the scratchy voice of Matt Menovcik. A bit of Tom Waits or Leonard Cohen is in there, but Matts voice isnt overly scratchy. Lesli Wood adds some softer vocals in the middle of many songs, and Can You Forgive ends with a beautiful part that reminds me of Tigerlily Natalie Merchant in the way her voice and the piano are spaced out rather sparingly over the silent backdrop. Im no voice expert, but sometimes I wish Leslis voice would soar to the same heights as some of my favorite singers, though her voice does hold up well considering the epic moods of the music. Then to make me even happier, youd have to follow up with a song by The Magnetic Fields, right? Well Grand Canyon off 69 Love Songs is covered here, and it certainly sounds nice a bit more dramatic perhaps, but nevertheless a fine twist on the original. Anywhere But Here convinces me that Saetas original compositions are strong as well. The strings really give you a bit of that dirge quality of some Dead Can Dance songs, and the lyrics are generally somber in mood. To be critical for criticisms sake, I suppose the album doesnt change dynamics as much as something like Torino does, but Saeta deliver a continuously calm yet intense album here that certainly achieves its purpose. Then towards the end we get a nice Smiths cover, the often overlooked masterpiece Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me. The piano interlude is cut a bit short here from the original, but when the female vocals join the menacing string section of the songs climax, Im left believing this is a fairly good track as far as cover versions go. The album ends with Everything, a song that gives us a few vocal moments where Lesli and Matts voices drift in and out of harmonies before the album ends with a surprising dose of high energy. In general, Ill sing Saetas praises by suggesting this album as a companion for you and your bottle of wine on a cold winters night. Additionally, We Are All Waiting for Hope is just asking to have a song or two lifted onto a mix CD, because they strike that somber note of melancholy in their songs that cant help but grab your attention.
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