Review: Damien Rice - My Favourite Faded Fantasy
By Megan Fair, Copy Chief
[Warner Bros.; 2014]
Rating: 7/10
Key Tracks: “The Great Bastard,” “Long Way”
Damien Rice is an interesting artist; his deeply introspective and self-deprecating lyricism reflects a tumultuous career, from battling labels to not only parting musical ways with Lisa Hannigan, his longtime collaborator, but also breaking up with her. It was after his record 9 that Rice dove underground, doing collaborations here and there but very darkly removing himself from the music he had devoted his life to.
When Rice decided to make his return with My Favourite Faded Fantasy, he made some interesting choices in how to go about writing and recording. Not surprisingly, collaborating with Markéta Irglová was a home run, her orchestral touches and ability to create immense bittersweet energy from beautiful music shining throughout My Favourite Faded Fantasy. Even bolder, Rice chose Def Jam founder and famous producer Rick Rubin to produce the album. This move is a bit of head scratcher, as the closest in genre that Rubin has produced is probably Ed Sheeran. Luckily this gamble proved fruitful, as the production is warm and hearty.
“The Great Bastard” is a warm, stripped tune that flexes subtlety as its strength. Rice’s gentle croon over intimate acoustic guitars and soft, nearly inaudible orchestral swells for the majority of the track provide the perfect landscape for some of the best, most charming self-loathsome lyrics on the album.
“Please don’t let on you don’t know me / Please don’t let on I’m not here / Please don’t let on you don’t love, cause I know you do,” gently pleads Rice until the big orchestral build grows under his gradually more powerful singing.
“It Takes A Lot To Know A Man” is a near 10-minute long adventure. To be frank, the narrative here is sad but painfully binary, painting a less than comprehensive explanation of male and female relationships and personalities. The woman is “the muse and the beguiled” and the man is “the hunter and the gun.” Although the lyrics leave something to be desired, the music is amazing, movements upon movements of darkness touched with interludes that feature field recordings and noise. You can picture a rain soaked Rice trudging his way down lonesome Irish roads, weeping and lamenting as he goes. The strings are heart wrenching and affecting.
“Long Way” is absolutely going to be in a montage for some independent film about self-discovery in the face of heartbreak; you can safely assume the film was shot in a rainy Irish landscape, which makes sense based on Rice’s Irish roots. The song drips layers and layers of emotions, rising and falling with careful construction. Airily Rice sings, “‘Cause love is tough / When enough is not enough,” all while a swell of strings and woodwinds and subtle clarinet sneak through the mix. The song tiptoes away in ever-dissipating movements, leaving the listener a sense of gentle closure.
The album is not perfect, as sometimes the depressing lyricism and endless search for peace is not the most pleasant to sit through. Playing it on repeat will take away from the power of the movements, as after a fourth or fifth listen the orchestral drama gets a bit stale. On the other hand, it is a beautiful record, perhaps one without longevity, but beautiful nonetheless.
Rice made it clear he does not care if the album will be commercially successful or not, but it’s hard to fathom that these songs won’t be featured on popular television dramas or gobbled up by emotional young adults and gentle older folks alike. My Favourite Faded Fantasy is accessible and haunting, certainly worthy of a listen.
