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(More customer reviews)Darren Hayes, former multiplatinum-selling frontman for Aussie duo Savage Garden (Truly, Madly, Completely- The Best of Savage Garden), has come into his own on This Delicate Thing We've Made. It's been a whirlwind few years for Hayes: on his third solo album after Spin (2002) and The Tension And The Spark (2005), Darren parted ways with Sony, started his own label Powdered Sugar, and married his partner Richard Cullen in a civil ceremony in London.
As one review rightly pointed out, if Hayes was still attached to Sony / Columbia, no megaconglomerate record company would have ever financed anything as ambitious and hard to categorize as This Delicate Thing We've Made. Spanning 25 tracks on 2 CDs, the album is all over the place sonically in a tribute to some of Darren's idols, including Prince, Michael Jackson, and Kate Bush, and the authentic retro vibe is courtesy of a 1983 Fairlight CMI syth. Darren's earlier collaborations with Robert Conley on Spin (Crush (1980 Me) and Tension and the Spark continue on TDTWM, along with Justin Shave as producer (Justin played keyboards on Darren's Big Night In tour).
Even though there is a unifying theme of time travel, Darren's bouncing off the sonic walls, from funk to electro to boy band to uniquely Darren. Unexpected samples (barking dogs, airplanes, horses) crop up in the middle of songs, and two songs (Conversations with God and Neverland) strongly remind me of Tori Amos-influenced Casey Stratton (Standing at the Edge), who shares the same soaring falsetto and sense of lyrical drama.
My main issue is the balance between uptempo flirtations with electronica (club hit Step Into the Light, Casey, Listen All You People, Me, Myself, and I) and slower ballads, which make up most of the second disc. I feel that TDTWM lacks the overall cohesiveness of Tension and the Spark, and I find myself skipping over a few of the tracks (the aforementioned Bombs Up In My Face and the dark, gritty Setting Sun). However, TDTWM grows on me with each successive listen. It's such a nuanced, complex work that multiple listens are required to do Darren's creative vision justice.
This special edition features deluxe packaging (suede clamshell box) with a double-sized booklet containing exclusive photos.
Kudos to Darren for the creative, pass-the-good-karma origami bird marketing that ties in with TDTWM's theme. He encourages fans to print an origami bird, write a wish or note (world peace, happiness, someone loves you, etc.), fold it, and leave it in a public place for others to find. If you find a bird, you can upload its location and a photo to neonbird dot com/something-wonderful
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This Delicate Thing We've Made (2 CDS)Darren Hayes is not only one of the finest (if not most underrated) singers and songwriters of our generation, he is also a master of reinvention. 'This Delicate Thing We've Made' is released on Hayes' own label, Powdered Sugar, and is the record he has wanted to make for years. Now he is his own boss, he's doing everything his own way. Bizarrely, it's the most commercial-sounding thing he's ever done. His old record label, Columbia, must be kicking themselves. The album is a double-disc pop opus. It is a deeply felt, moving, and joyous celebration of life and of pop music. Though the tracks vary in style and genre, often deliberately sequenced so as to draw attention to their differences ("Setting Sun" followed by "A Hundred Challenging Things" is one of the most dramatic changes of mood I've ever heard), together they form a whole that is one of the most enjoyable and one of the most intelligent pop albums of the last decade. It seems inspired by, and certainly deserves to be regarded alongside, albums such as Madonna's 'Ray of Light', U2's 'Achtung Baby', Prince's 'LoveSexy', and Peter Gabriel's 'So'. There are musical nods to these artists, and others. In terms of style, there is pure pop celebration here, in the form of songs like "Listen All You People", "Tuning of Violins" and the first single "On the Verge..." "Casey" proves that melancholy, yearning lyrics don't have to be stuck on ballads, but can be sung over up-tempo synth-pop to heart-wrenching effect. In tracks like "Bombs Up in My Face" and "Me, Myself and (I)" Hayes is channeling Prince at his funkiest best. To be honest, any 11 of the tracks could have been released as an album, and would have made a great record. But by giving himself room to explore musical avenues, develop his themes, and (dare one say it) nudge the whole thing towards being a concept record. Hayes has managed to craft an album of intricate narratives and personal confessions that simultaneously document his arrival at peace within himself. He has created something that really demands to be listened to, that hooks you and completely seduces you. The UK's NME Magazine called him a genius. They weren't wrong.
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