She May Rise if I Sing You Down

With the release of O, Damien Rice made some of the most beautiful, yet haunting, music in recent memory. He even won the Shortlist Music Prize for the album back in 2003. Of course that award is a blessing and a curse because it means you’re really good but you haven’t sold very many records (less than 500,000 to be eligible). But the album did have some staying power as many with songs showing up in different movies and television shows, most recently Delicate was used to close out an episode of Jericho two weeks ago. This wasn’t first time the song was used for ending an episode because as it was also done previously on Lost and Alias. Gee it’s not like television producers to use songs that have been used multiple times before for the same reasons. End sarcasm.

Just when you think Rice couldn’t come up with a more simplistic title for an album than O, he does with the release today of 9. The new album is much of the same as the songs still manage to be beautiful and haunting at the same time. Although the songs sound a little more polished this time around, they don’t lose their emotional rawness and even with all the emotion seeping from the songs they still avoid being sappy. And before you make a The Blower’s Daughter comparison to Elephant, Rice beat you to the punch as it was originally titled The Blower’s Daughter II before the title was changed during recording.

Lisa Hannigan, who shined on O’s Volcano, is back and featured on the album opener 9 Crimes but unfortunately is relegated to backup singer for the rest of the album because their back and forth is always something great. That’s not to say Rice can’t handle a track by himself. He even branches out on the album with the harder sounding Rootless Tree and Me, My Yoke & I with all the rage, screaming and lyrics that wouldn’t get past my censors. Then on Coconut Skins, Rice straps on an acoustic guitar and channels early Dylan. And be sure to turn up the volume when the album ends because the last sixteen minutes features a Tibetan singing bowl that supposable has healing powers. But it’s The Animals Are Gone with its soft beginning into a souring orchestral ending that will most like be co-opted that will likely be closing out an episode of your favorite television shows for years to come.

Song to Download - The Animals Are Gone

9 gets a on my Terror Alert Scale.