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The album seems to be fairly united theme-wise, which is a plus in my book. All of the songs are fairly dreamlike, although the nature of the dream can change from faintly wistful and romantic, to fairly intense and moving. One of the unifiers in this is a strong tie on the vocal writing. On most of the songs, the vocal melody is written primarily in quarter notes that move fairly lazily along. For most bands, this would be a detriment overall, but Iris manages to pull it off, making it one of the factors that tie the songs together. "Lose in Wanting is a mid-tempo song with some harsh sounds and sweeping, orchestral moments which serve to make it interesting for it's entire, slightly over six minute length. The variation and intensity changes also serve to strengthen the song. After this start, Iris go for a string of songs which are all very dance floor friendly, and thus pretty accessible and easy to get into. "Saving Time" is the first of these, and it was previewed by the CD single. It's a nice song, easily danceable, yet it almost doesn't sound danceable, since the beats are slightly muted to give more attention to the vocals and synthwork, which are brilliant, by the way. It's a long song, but when I heard it the first time, I knew right away that I needed the Iris album. In spite of that, it's still not my favorite song here, even. Next we come to "Endlessly," a more upbeat song with a romantic, dreamy quality that makes it pretty fun to listen to. Much of the synthwork is very strongly reminiscent of earlier Pet Shop Boys, although Reagan's silky vocals don't sound a thing like Neil's. "Twilight" is next, and I saw a banner that called it a "club hit." I wonder what clubs have played this yet, or if this means another CD single is coming? It's a good song as well, a little bit darker in theme than "Endlessly" and a little bit more energetic, but with the same somnambulic, dreamy quality. Then we have "The Way I Live My Life" which is very similar in sound and theme to "Twilight" except perhaps even a bit more intense. The next song is the one that brought Iris to the forground of the synthpop community in the firstplace, "Annie, Would I Lie to You." The song is still excellent, is the most intense, dancefloor ready song on the album, and features the most lyrics too, which is interesting. It's probably my favorite song on the CD if, for nothing else, because it's got the most energy. "Danger Is the Shame" is next, and it surprised me quite a bit. It surprised me because it's a mid-tempo, langorous song, which is quite a bit different than the only other version of the song I had previously heard, the quite crunchy and extremely danceable Nine remix found on Mix, Rinse and Spin Volume 2 as well as downloadable as an mp3 from the Electrogarden. The change wasn't unpleasant, merely unexpected, and a slower, thoughtful piece is actually nice. "Waves Crash In" is even a little bit slower; it could almost be called a slow song, but the distorted guitar like song and broken relationship lyrics make it far from relaxing. "Loom," on the other hand, is a bit more up-tempo, and is surprisingly cheery. It makes a good love song, with imagery of summer gardens and starry skies, and as a cheerful song, it's different. Actually, it's another contender for my favorite song on the album. The last song is a cover of the Hubert KaH song "The Picture." The song is capable enough, and Iris have managed to make it sound like one their own, albeit slightly retro in style.
Overall, I am extremely impressed by this first album from fellow Texans Iris. Every song on it is above average, and some are absolutely brilliant. The more I listen to the album, the more I like it, and I have a feeling it will end up being one of the most listened to albums in my collection.
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