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Last.fm

Trollheart

Pretty sure you guilted me into doing this some time ago. I'll check back and see but I definitely remember deliberately not putting the dollar sign in to annoy you. Don't think it worked.

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Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

Trollheart

Album title: Dreaming Out Loud
Artist: OneRepublic
Nationality: American
Year: 2007
Highest chart position: 2 (UK) 14 (US)
What do I know about this artist? Nada; heard of them, that’s it
What was my opinion on this artist prior to listening? I had none
What, if any, are my expectations prior to listening? None
Track-by-track:

Stay (All I Need)
Pop Rating
Singability: 8
Danceability: 8
Enjoyment: 8
The Smooch Factor: 0
The Surprise Factor: 7
Average Pop Rating: 6.2

Mercy
Pop Rating
Singability: 8
Danceability: 8
Enjoyment: 7
The Smooch Factor: 0
The Surprise Factor: 5
Average Pop Rating: 5.6

Stop and Stare
Pop Rating
Singability: 7
Danceability: 0
Enjoyment: 7
The Smooch Factor: 7
The Surprise Factor: 3
Average Pop Rating: 4.8

Apologize
Pop Rating
Singability: 6
Danceability: 0
Enjoyment: 6
The Smooch Factor: 8
The Surprise Factor: 3
Average Pop Rating: 4.6

Goodbye Apathy
Pop Rating
Singability: 6
Danceability: 7
Enjoyment: 5
The Smooch Factor: 0
The Surprise Factor: 5
Average Pop Rating: 4.6

All Fall Down
Pop Rating
Singability: 9
Danceability: 5
Enjoyment: 10
The Smooch Factor: 0
The Surprise Factor: 9
Average Pop Rating: 6.6

Tyrant
Pop Rating
Singability: 8
Danceability: 9
Enjoyment: 8
The Smooch Factor: 0
The Surprise Factor: 9
Average Pop Rating: 6.8

Prodigal
Pop Rating
Singability: 9
Danceability: 0
Enjoyment: 8
The Smooch Factor: 8
The Surprise Factor: 3
Average Pop Rating: 5.6

Won’t Stop
Pop Rating
Singability: 8
Danceability: 6
Enjoyment: 5
The Smooch Factor: 0
The Surprise Factor: 3
Average Pop Rating: 4.4

All We Are
Pop Rating
Singability: 8
Danceability: 5
Enjoyment: 5
The Smooch Factor: 0
The Surprise Factor: 3
Average Pop Rating: 4.4

Someone to Save You
Pop Rating
Singability: 7
Danceability: 8
Enjoyment: 8
The Smooch Factor: 0
The Surprise Factor: 5
Average Pop Rating: 5.6

Come Home
Pop Rating
Singability: 6
Danceability: 0
Enjoyment: 8
The Smooch Factor: 10
The Surprise Factor: 5
Average Pop Rating: 5.8



Comments: Before I even listen to a note, I will give this band some props, as I see the person who appears to be the driving force of the band, Ryan Tedder, not only sings but plays piano, guitar, keyboards, drums - just about everything - also engineers and produces the album and writes or has a hand in writing every single song. The fact that this is debut and OneRepublic have not gone down the mostly favoured route of a) getting a bunch of songwriters in, b) throwing a lot of covers on their album or c) involving a ton of producers, earns them points in my book. Whether this will translate into a liking for their music or not I can’t say till I hear it, but I’m already better disposed towards them, as it’s clear they have not taken the easy way out. I should also mention that on this, and all subsequent albums, I won’t be doing bonus tracks, remixes, special mixes or anything of that nature, as I know what pop is like, and I ain’t getting dragged down that particular rabbithole!

Got a somehow African-like start to the opener, doesn’t grate on me so that’s good. It’s not quite a ballad, but I wouldn’t see people necessarily dancing to it, so I’d put it on more the side of being a ballad than not being one, and in starting their first album off with that I believe they’re being quite courageous. I see comparisons have been noted with Coldplay and Snow Patrol, and sure, I can see that. Not a copy though, not yet anyhow. Nice acoustic guitar and piano opening the second track, on which, admittedly, those comparisons begin to look stronger. A lot of heart in these two songs, but it would be nice to see OR stamp their own identity on one of their songs. But no, “Stop and Stare” has Snow Patrol written all over it, quite a lot like “Chasing Cars” really. Good song, but quite derivative. Hmm. I would say also so far it’s been a pretty low-key affair. I’m not one for boppy dance numbers, but there really hasn’t been anything uptempo here yet.

“Apologize” is another mid-to-slow-paced song, with handclap drums and a yearning vocal, while “Goodbye Apathy” (is there a message in the title?) sounds like it might be waking things up a little maybe. Good vocal harmonies, though it’s hardly kicking down walls now is it? There's a decent hook in the song, but it’s kind of hard to care too much. Another acoustic guitar opening to “All Fall Down”, with what sounds like violin or cello (probably the former) and okay, this is the first track that has interested me with more than a passing shrug. Yeah this one is good, probably the best so far, though I guess that’s not saying a lot. Fast-paced piano line leading in “Tyrant” accompanied by a rapid vocal delivery and it does move at last and kick things up but unfortunately I don’t like it too much. Chorus is good but I don’t like the verses though hold on: slowing almost to a halt and now taking on a sort of bluesy semi-prog feel; maybe there’s hope yet. Yeah, Enjoyment Factor and Surprise Factor just went up a couple of notches. This is very good.

Ambient opening to “Prodigal”, nice piano and keyboard line and the vocal is very emotional and soulful, closest to an actual ballad there has been on the album (oddly, despite the slow nature of many of the tracks, there hasn’t been one I would class as a love song or ballad) and bouncy acoustic guitar leads us into “Won’t Stop”, a breezy little tune with some nice cello but really nothing to write home about, almost an updated Paul Simon idea I feel. It’s followed by “All We Are”, which is a Beatles-style piano ballad that’s not quite sure what it wants to be. Picks up in the chorus and is a little mystifying in that way, hard to know which way to take it. That leaves us with two tracks, as the closer is just a remix of “Apologize”, which as I said I’m not taking into consideration.

Good strong opening with powerful percussion and a sense maybe of ELO, just touches, to “Someone to Save You”, reminds me of certain Robbie Williams songs too, good hook in the song, powerful ending and then the album closes on “Come Home”, a piano ballad that is finally the love song I’ve been expecting all through the album.


What is my opinion now, after listening? I’d say the comparisons with Coldplay and Snow Patrol are deserved, but there are signs of OneRepublic trying to break out of that mould and forge their own path, something they may have achieved on later albums. Right now this shows promise, but it’s hard to see it as anything that original. Pleasant and nice to listen to, but it wouldn’t induce me to go out and buy the rest of their material, not on the basis of this album.
Favourite tracks (if any): All Fall Down, Tyrant, Someone to Save You
Album Pop Rating: 5.42
Personal rating: 7/10


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ODo...q2sp37sB3YmQkg

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Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

The Batlord

Then make it MIA - Kala.

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Key

That was the first album i listened to by OneRepublic and although I dont listen to them much these days, still a solid album. The song Apologize plays everywhere that I tend to skip that one now but everything else is good. Like you said, nothing original or new but still a good listen.