| This Week's Highlights |
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analysis w/e 14.5.11 |
DVDs out 9.5.11 |
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@ DVDfever Youtube |
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May 11 2011 
DVDfever co uk
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Reflective slumber …ouch. When you wish someone a ‘safe trip home’ it implies they been somewhere different to their usual surroundings - a change of place or just surroundings, like spaceman Bruce Candless 11 on the CD cover. Much like Enya, Dido can hardly be considered a progressive artist. After five years (yep it’s been that long) Dido’s Safe Trip Home isn’t exactly a revelation.
When you’ve got multimillion sales (around 10 million) and lotsa wads in the bank, artists get complacent, and that’s what Dido Armstrong’s done. Musically, she also fails to push the boundaries away from her comfort zone, which might be hindered by contributions by ex-Roxy Music keyboardist Brian Eno and Mick Fleetwood. Latterly Eno’s music has been maudling to say the least, so here he’s failed to bring any new ideas: basically it hasn’t got any sparkle. As with previous two albums – it’s very listenable but nothing really stands out : there’s no White Flag or Thank You. Surprisingly enough, it starts with lo-fi funky Don’t Believe In Love – the sort of coffee table stuff we expect, like her emotionless and detached vocals, that were apparently sung in the producer’s tiny broom cupboard. And this seems to be a clue to her possible inner turmoil of sorts, because there’s an underlying theme of loss, grief, mainly uncertainty, underpinning her material. Just for once you’d think she’d lighten up, just a bit, because Quiet Times (she’s had 5 years to work on this remember) typifies her one-dimensional approach, with segued Never Want To Say It’s Love equally downcast.
Skipping drab Grafton Street (though the mid-section eastern / Celtic flavoured segment is interesting) , we get to the (what can be deduced as autobiographical) It Comes And It Goes as she declares : “ Some days I want love , some days I don’t / Sometimes I can feel it, then suddenly it’s goes.” So far things haven’t been too exciting – we are talking Dido – and when Us 2 Little Gods arrives, a perky little shuffle, its very welcome and over due. If there’s anything that stands out, just, Let’s Do…shimmers gloriously while our Ms. D shows some hint of sweetness. After that is all goes pear-shaped to its end. Of the three so far, Life For Rent is by far the best. File under: Oh dear. Running out of ideas ?
Weblink: didomusic.com
The full list of tracks included are :
As of April 2009, Blu-rays and DVDs reviewed by the editor are watched on a Panasonic TH-37PX80B 37" Plasma TV with a Sony BDP-1500 Blu-ray player and played through a Yamaha DSP-AX820 amplifier. PC games reviewed by the editor are on:
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Review & concert pics copyright © Elly Roberts, 2004-2010.
