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jeffyjo · 07-31-2005, 07:31 PM

First, Old Dan's Records is a much better album than Endless Wire. By miles and miles.

But yes, Endless Wire is something of a failed masterpiece. The emotional despondency, in the end, is what knocks the album down to A-/B+. If you take an album like, say, Dylan's Blood On The Tracks, Dylan manages to be despondent in a vibrant way. (If that makes sense). Dylan is using his art to work through his depression.

Once you get to the end of Endless Wire, it's almost as if Gord's despondency is crushing him.

Endless Wire is, in effect, three of Gord's best songs (Daylight Katy, Endless Wire, If Children Had Wings), surrounded by a number of "middle of the road" songs that find Gord brooding and saddened, but ultimately unable to connect to his Muse to the best of his ability.

It's a noble failure that has great work proceeding it, and even greater work after it.

In my mind, Gord tried to deal with his pain through his work, and for only once in his recorded albums (as far as I'm concerned), the pain got the better of him.

07-31-2005, 07:31 PM	#11
jeffyjo Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 93	First, Old Dan's Records is a much better album than Endless Wire. By miles and miles. But yes, Endless Wire is something of a failed masterpiece. The emotional despondency, in the end, is what knocks the album down to A-/B+. If you take an album like, say, Dylan's Blood On The Tracks, Dylan manages to be despondent in a vibrant way. (If that makes sense). Dylan is using his art to work through his depression. Once you get to the end of Endless Wire, it's almost as if Gord's despondency is crushing him. Endless Wire is, in effect, three of Gord's best songs (Daylight Katy, Endless Wire, If Children Had Wings), surrounded by a number of "middle of the road" songs that find Gord brooding and saddened, but ultimately unable to connect to his Muse to the best of his ability. It's a noble failure that has great work proceeding it, and even greater work after it. In my mind, Gord tried to deal with his pain through his work, and for only once in his recorded albums (as far as I'm concerned), the pain got the better of him.