Counting Crows Recovering the Satellites...Track by Track
1. "Catapult"...Lots of synthesized flutes that conjure up the glory days of the mellotron. At times it puts me in mind of "Strawberry Fields Forever", but that's about the only thing it shares in common with that Beatles classic. Mid-tempo, guitar saturated rocker ensues. Duritz stays in control for the most part, even if his list of "I wanna"s is too long. I've never thought this was a good opener, but it's not a bad song.
2. "Angels of the Silences"...This was the first single from the album and I remember hearing it on the radio before the LP came out. It is quite different fare than anything on the first album. More of an edge, rocks just a little harder. If you can get past that you'll probably enjoy the song and really the album as a whole. Excellent melodies from Duritz, whose passionate delivery is tailor made for a song like this. Great song.
3. "Daylight Fading"...Hands down, my favorite song from this album. I want to say that it brings back fond memories of what REM used to sound like, for some reason I have always associated it with that band, but when I hear it now I can't figure out why I ever made that connection. It sounds richer than any of that old REM fare. Duritz once again nails it. Just listen to those guitars pouring out notes that fall like raindrops...such a beautiful sound.
4. "I'm Not Sleeping"...Lots of tension building and release make up the bulk of this track. Lyrically quite erotic and Duritz sings 'em like he means 'em. The bridge is a bit too heavy and sounds like an excuse to utilyze the orchestra that has already made it's mark quite well in the chorus. There are aspects of "I'm Not Sleeping" that I thoroughly enjoy but they are ruined by the bridge and especially the completely unneccesary (nursery rhyme-esque) rant at the close.
5. "Goodnight Elizabeth"...Here we have the first song on the album that sounds like it might be an outtake from August and Everything After. Even so, there are all these shimmering quitar parts that show up in the background which differentiate the song from the more stark, spare debut. Duritz rain obsession finds an outlet in some of these lyrics. Decent song, though.
6. "Children In Bloom"...This is one of the heaviest songs I think the band has done. The production here kind of tones down the rawness, but it's there and you don't have to listen too hard to hear it. Duritz' falsetto misses a couple of times and the ad-libbing of the last several bars is unnecessary, but on the other hand he does some incredible singing earlier on in the song.
7. "Have You Seen Me Lately"...Nice chord changes and what do you know, Duritz is breaking up with someone! And in no uncertain terms, either, as he opens with "Get away from me...This isn't going to be easy but I don't need you, believe me"... Ouch! More rain obsession. The thing about this song is that it's all really quite good EXCEPT the chorus, and we all know how important the chorus is. It still manages to be one of the better songs here.
8. "Miller's Angels"...Actually quite a beautiful song if you can ignore the bridge and the "Hey, Romeo" chorus end tags. Another one that could have been on the debut. The good thing about this one is all the backing music, the stuff behind the piano and vocals. It really helps push the song into another realm. The end piece is nice, too.
9. "Another Horsedreamer's Blues"...I have to be honest, I have never liked this song at all. Part of it is the orchestra that seems superfluous. The lyrics do nothing for me and Duritz verges on the histrionics here that have been know to ruin the band's live performances.
10. "Recovering the Satellites"...After the last track it's good to hear the band come back to the more experimental fare of the records first half. The melodies merge with the music perfectly and finally a bridge that works. Just as I've always disliked the last song, this one has long been a favorite.
11. "Monkey"...Monkey? Huh? My recollection is that I've never cared for this song, but even though it's got a lot of faults ("...got Ben Folds on my radio now...") it doesn't sound quite as bad as I remember. A throwaway that might have made a nice B-side.
12. "Mercury"...An apparant attempt to strip down all the loud instruments and get back to basics...unfortunately, it's also probably the most boring song of the lot.
13. "A Long December"...Were it not for this song I would have suggested that the whole album be limited to the first 10 songs...This is the second single from the album and it's a song that, unlike the first single, sounds exactly like what you'd expect from the band that put out August and Everything After. It's half power ballad and half anthem, all drenched in melancholy and the hope that "maybe this year will be better than the last". Just a stellar track, IMO.
14. "Walkaways"...Sounds like a decent demo, may well be just that. But anything is going to have a hard time following the last track.
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