After five years and a bout with band mitosis, Farewell to Juliet is back with their second album, Grace and Dire Circumstances. No sophomore jinx here. The cover depicts a butterfly beset by flames, grace under fire as it were. These guys certainly display that with this new album. Their debut record, Echoes of Laughter made quite an impression on those of us fortunate to have heard it, but even so this latest installment displays obvious development on all fronts.
They have maintained their characteristic sound, melodic with a penchant for punching out some good rock and roll. They wear their Choir influence on their sleeves throughout, most notably with a cover of "Chase the Kangaroo." With some additional lyrics by Elbel, they take the song in a whole new direction, one which I must admit I find more accessible than Steve Hindalong's original. This song could perhaps be the heart of the album, expanding on the album title in these verses:
Choir choir world on fire
Grace and circumstances dire
Hydrants fail and flames surround
Time for going underground
You may find me in a trench
Racing from the falling sky
If Sydney is my sanctuary
Guess I'll dig until I die
One thing that stands out to me in particular is the improvement in the match between words and music. Guitarist and co-producer Jeff Elbel's lyrics on the first album sometimes seemed less fit for singing than for reading owing to their phonetic complexity, but this tendency has since been shed. The lyrics for "Thermostat," Elbel's reflection on stardom in light of Kurt Cobain's suicide, still tie the tongue a little, but the content and style of the song support, yea, demand such a delivery:
A curious thing, moth to flame
Are craving heat and light the same?
If illumination draws them in
They fly for lunar soil
If temperature fuels their desire
Then shun the moon and fly to fire
And quench a most peculiar thirst
To feel the innards boil
A good example of the marriage of music and words is "Justice," lead singer Brant Hansen's advice to his then-newborn son. I heard a very early live version of this song recorded a few years ago, and it has aged very well. It begins rattling off a series of admonitions, with a rousing rock music ride, but evolves into a lullaby, a spoken-word blessing on the sleeping child, and a quiet heart-beat drum pattern.
The band displays a great deal of versatility, with mellow, poppy numbers like "Browning's Pearl" and jumpy, rockers like "Bittersweet," and songs like "Seconds Count," which opens with a cool, bass-driven groove that would do Tim Chandler proud, and ends with a heavy metal jam session. They cover the whole range with both passion and skill, and make this album well worth tracking down.
4.5 tocks
Other coverage for this album
HM Magazine #72Reviewed by Brian Vincent McGovernBack after its highly respected and sought after debut, Echoes of Laughter, Farewell to Juliet bring to the table a highly credible, mostly pop-oriented record entitled Grace and Dire Circumstances. Jeff Elbel is a great producer, guitarist, and writer, so it's a blessing to have his name show up in the credits before I even hear the record. The song "Justice" appeared as "Bean" on a project by…The Phantom Tollbooth 1998Reviewed by Jerry RayReaders of the Usenet newsgroup rec.music.christian have likely heard of Farewell to Juliet and producer/guitarist Jeff Elbel. I had heard about the band in that forum for some time before I actually ordered their disc, and when I finally heard it, I kicked myself for not having ordered it sooner. Grace and Dire Circumstances is a solid album, and is doubly impressive for being a self-produced…The Phantom Tollbooth 1998Reviewed by James StewartAnybody who follows the internet discussion group rec.music.christian will almost certainly have come across the band Farewell to Juliet, if not through the participation of guitarist/vocalist Jeff Elbel in the group, then through the ravings of other discussion participants. The band's second full album, Grace and Dire Circumstances, is a well-presented project released on their own label,…The Phantom Tollbooth 1998Reviewed by Steven S. BaldwinFarewell to Juliet's reputation as a Choir clone is not helped by their reverent remake of "Chase the Kangaroo," but that connection seems to suit this band just fine. The Choir-esque sounds aside, the real question is: is there room for another intelligent, artsy modern rock band with a familiar sound? Farewell to Juliet makes a powerful case. Despite their obvious veneration for their favorite…Similar sounding releases
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