Review Summary: This is a great pop album from back in the day.
Flashback to 1997, Savage Garden is just becoming the hottest new thing to be played on the radio and roller-skating rinks around the world. You can't help to sing along to songs your favorite songs like "I Want You" and "Truly Madly Deeply." This album is a late nineties classic that created a cult following of crazy teenie boppers.
The album kicks off with, arguably it's best song, To The Moon & Back. The song is a masterpiece, from the killer guitar riff that starts it off until it's climatic piano sequence at the end. Full of heartfelt lyrics about some girl with a rather sad life, you'll find it hard to not love this song.
There are plenty of other great songs on here, not just the hits. Break Me Shake Me, Promises, and A Thousand Words are all masterpieces. The first mentioned is one of Savage Garden's best work with hard rock. A great bass line flows through this one and a lot of other percussion and effects such as finger snaps. Darren Hayes has a wonderful voice which sings out perfectly songs like Promises. No lyrical perfection here, just, like I said, Darren Hayes's unbelievable voice taking it away. Same with A Thousand Words. A great rhythm and great guitar playing from the other guy, Daniel Jones.
If there is a weakness with Savage Garden, at least on this album, it is the quality of their lyrics. Sometimes they don't make sense just for the sake of rhyming, or just sounding good and/or cool. I Want You is just another example of an unforgettably catchy tune that makes little sense. Has anyone who listened to music during the 90's forgotten that song?
There is also an obvious amount of filler here which reveals even more cheesy lyrics. Universe, Violet, and Santa Monica are all catchy, but with lame lyrics. "All the people got modern names like Jake and Mandy." Quite possibly the song that holds the record for cheesiest lyrics in a great song is none other than Truly Madly Deeply. We all remember slow-dancing to it back in the day. If you accept it for what it is, you'll realize that it isn't even close to terrible. Still, if you look for lyrical content, you'll be disappointed.
The best song this side of the first track is without a doubt Tears Of Pearls. Savage Garden delves back into hard rock, something they've proven they aren't bad at. The chorus is full of energy and hard not to sing along to. "All these mixed emotion we keep locked away like stolen pearls, stolen pearl devotion we keep locked away from all the world." Darren ends the song by yelling out that love will be the death of you.
Overall, this album is without a doubt a 90's classic. You might even say that slightly altered the future of pop music. Too bad these guys couldn't stay together longer, because they were one explosive duo.
Recommended Tracks
To The Moon & Back
Tears Of Pearls
Break Me Shake Me
A Thousand Words
Promises
Final Rating: 4.6/5
