Elizabeth and the Catapult - Taller Children
Record Label: Verve Forecast
Release Date: June 2, 2009
Elizabeth and the Catapult is a Brooklyn-based trio centered around the songwriting panache of Elizabeth Abby-Lyn Ziman. The trio's aural core has a definitive lounge and classical vibe, while also maintaining elements of pop and singer/songwriter standards.
On the heels of a strong DIY ethic, the group signed a deal with Verve Records and relocated to Nebraska to work with producer Mike Mogis. Said result is Taller Children, the group's major-label debut. The album begins with the snarky kiss-off "Momma's Boy," a playful slap-in-the-face to a needy lover, which has a bouncy beat and confident verses. Title track "Taller Children," has a rather mundane electro-percussive beginning but hits its stride around the two-minute mark. The string-backed ballad "Rainiest Day of Summer, " follows and proves that Ziman's strengths certainly shine on ballads. Her attempt at straightforward honesty is "Apathy," an ode to anhedonia and the pangs that accompany being mired in a malaise. Reaching for something a little more whimsical, "The Hang Up," provides some of the album's more playful sentiments and Ziman's most inspired notes.
One of the Taller Children's most memorable rock songs is "Hit the Wall," a cheery, jittery number that features the disc's most accessible chorus, while "Right Next To You," has the torch vibe down pat, calling to mind Dusty Springfield, amidst a sea of keyboard, vibraphone and flugelhorn. Ziman tackles Leonard Cohen on "Everybody Knows," which truth be told sounds a lot more scintillating than the legend's version. That's not much of a stretch though, considering Cohen's wooden vocals never offer much in the first place. The disc ends with three straight sultry ballads, of which, only the slow-moving "Golden Ink" is the most memorable.
For all its charms, Taller Children has trouble standing on its own. The middle half of the album is at times uninspiring and the latter half seems to drag. This is of particular importance because the album's opening doesn't exactly push forward with gusto or kinesis. That being said there's an undeniable coffeehouse charm at work here and the intimacy and warmth is comforting. Ziman studied film scoring during her college years and the album's many layers and swirling atmospherics reveal that her time in college was well-spent. A brutally honest wordsmith, Ziman writes songs that pattern the innerworkings of the daily struggle and that talent alone is probably what will make her relative for years to come.
It's pretty solid. It falls off in some places, but she sure can sing. And I adore her lyrics.
Whats your favorite track? I like the title track and in Apathy when she sings "Oh Apathy don't patronize me, I wasn't staring at nothing for nothing. Oh apathy don't hypnotize me. Once upon a time I thought I really stood for something." Loving it
Whats your favorite track? I like the title track and in Apathy when she sings "Oh Apathy don't patronize me, I wasn't staring at nothing for nothing. Oh apathy don't hypnotize me. Once upon a time I thought I really stood for something." Loving it
The latter half of the title track is solid, but the start is ehhh. It's funny, I like "Apathy" lyrically, I don't know if I like it sonically. I'm a sucker for "Hit the Wall," "Momma's Boy," and "Rainiest Day of Summer."
The latter half of the title track is solid, but the start is ehhh. It's funny, I like "Apathy" lyrically, I don't know if I like it sonically. I'm a sucker for "Hit the Wall," "Momma's Boy," and "Rainiest Day of Summer."
Momma's Boy is one of my favorites as well. I feel like this is the kind of record that will just have killer lasting value.I can tell ill come back to it again and again. She has such a lovely voice
good edit there, guy. it's only slightly less plagiarized from allmusic.com now. glad i could be of service.
Any comparison to the actual work was unintentional. I fully admit I used the AllMusic text as an outline. I had never intended to publish it as it appeared, and it was an oversight on my part for doing so. That being said, with the exception of the opening to the second paragraph, I will seriously challenge you on the fact that the current review as it stands bears any significance to AllMusic.com in its current form.
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