The Hard Sell Of The Garden

The Good: Lyrics, Music
The Bad: Often over-engineered, Voice
The Basics: For lovers of pop only - don't expect more. At least the catchy tunes on The Garden say something and say it well!


It's terribly difficult to recommend any album that should be classified as "pure pop." For one thing, there's the stigma that the music is therefore unintelligent drivel. The paradox of The Garden is that it manages to be one, but not the other. That is, it is fairly intelligent (especially by comparison) but it's still drivel. I've described Merril Bainbridge's work as sugary, obvious and simple, but I keep this disc in my collection. Why?

The explanation will hardly sound sensible. However, Bainbridge has some very solid fundamentals: her lyrics are good and she has a keen ear in the simple, catchy harmonies she makes. These are tunes that you'll find yourself humming. Complications ensue with how she sings them. It's hard to take the potent line "[You] Put me in a fry pan couldn't wait To burn my skin but now I miss you Yes I miss you" ("Miss You") when it's sung in the light, wispy and even enthusiastic way that Bainbridge does. The lyrics are poetic, emotive and interesting, but they are presented in a wispy, hook-oriented pop way.

There are a few tracks that overcome the discrepancy between voice and lyrics, like the poetic and image-filled "Under The Water." However, the bulk of tracks have a strong difference between the emotion of the words and the emotion of the voice. On the exceptions (the quirky "Mouth," for example), there is often a level of over-production. That is, when the voice matches the lines and the music is good, there are production elements added that tip the balance of the song.

The songs written by Bainbridge ("Garden In My Room," "Miss You," "Mouth," "Julie," "Song For Neen," and "Power of One") all share a common thing; empathetic lyrics and a strong sense of the poetic. It's clear Bainbridge has the ability to write and that she has something emotive to say.

There's difficulty in recommending this album and in the final analysis I decided I would, very selectively, recommend it to some of my friends. The songs are catchy in sound, but often discongruent with the meaning of the words. It's only for those who like pop because this is pop at it's peak.

I personally enjoy "Under the Water" most and the weak link in the album is the over-the-top gushing joy of "Reasons Why."

For other Merril Bainbridge works, be sure to visit my reviews of:
Mouth (single)
Under The Water (single)
Between The Days

5.5/10

For other music reviews, please visit my Music Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2012, 2006 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.

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Never Have So Many Endings Sounded So Upbeat As On Between The Days

The Good: Some decent lyrics, Good tunes
The Bad: Discontinuity between music and lines, Musically unimaginative, More "Dance" than her debut
The Basics: In her second - and final - outing Merril Bainbridge combines mostly meaningful, emotive lyrics with dance beats and produced tunes.


Merril Bainbridge strikes me as a woman who would not like to be mentioned as one who has had her fifteen minutes. As both of her musical albums were written almost entirely by herself, she strikes me as someone who at the very least has something to say. Her debut, The Garden was a weird blend of quirky pop songs with better-than-average lyrics and a light, airy, subversive voice that made for an intriguing mix. Her second album Between The Days remains her last album and looking at her body of work it is not entirely surprising to see why.

Between The Days is a fast-paced dance album that features Merril Bainbridge's unique airy soprano voice dishing out lyrics that oscillate between obvious (there are a lot of "day/say" and "light/night" rhymes) and brilliantly emotive: "I took my time in preparation / Studied hard / For this long distance conversation / But when I get you on the phone / All the courage in the world has left me" ("Hello").

In fact, one of the most infuriating aspects of the album is how Bainbridge manages to combine the two. "Walk On Fire" should be one of the most repetitive songs of all time, yet Bainbridge breaks up her endless "So I'll walk and I'll walk yes I'm walking on fire"s with clapping noises and her voice carries in it a smile that is inviting the listener to enjoy an inside joke. She makes a song about dedication, sacrifice and holding onto love long after it is gone into an upbeat, walking-in-stride ditty that one is likely to find themselves humming long after it is over.

Such things do not work all the time, for example on "Love & Terror." This track ends up more confused by the upbeat nature of the music and it finds itself lyrically deficient as well. It is a song about love, with a refrain that declares "(You're always) / There where love and terror flare / In the water in the air / And in everything you do." Yet it remains a pretty solid, standard love song. The terror never comes into it and there is no aspect of love, as defined by uncertainty or horror that enters the song either. This is not "Love and Terror," it's "Love and Let's Go Dancing!"

Similarly, "Big Machine" at the end of the album is incongruent with the remainder of the album. It's not a bad song, but after so many songs that seem to have the purpose of being danceable, "Big Machine" is neither fast, energetic or danceable. Lyrically, it takes on a heavier tone as it does melodically. This is not an effective coda to the rest of the album, instead it's a brick wall that the listener gets smashed into. This does not ease one out of the listening experience into the next or encouraging the listener to loop the album back to the beginning, but rather it kicks the listener to a stop and that is problematic, especially for an artist that might want listeners to relisten to hear the full depth of the lyrics.

At the end of the day, Between The Days brings little-known pop musician Merril Bainbridge from the pop arena to the dance halls. Her voice is impressive, but the album is plagued by the production that does not ever rest on her vocal talents. Instead, she is produced over and her thoughtful, well-considered messages are drown in dance beats.

And the music is pretty standard. There are acoustic guitars, bass and percussion. The most unique instrument on the album is Bainbridge's voice, but none of the songs hinge on it the way, say, "My Immortal" by Evanescence depends on Amy Lee's vocals. As a result, this album never seems to reach its potential and it is unsurprising that it never reached its market.

To that end, Between The Days is a hard number to track down, especially if you're looking for new and not used. Is it worth tracking down? Fans of women's rock/pop would do better with the likes of Heather Nova, Sophie B. Hawkins or even Michelle Branch. Fans of dance music are bound to enjoy it, especially those who are frustrated with how inane dance music lyrics can be. Just don't expect this album to be the musical Mecca that solves all of the problems of the dance genre.

The best track is the disturbingly incongruent "Walk On Fire," the weakest track is the ridiculously upbeat sounding single "Lonely."

For other indie pop-rock artists, check out my reviews of:
The Idler Wheel - Fiona Apple
The Crossing - Sophie B. Hawkins
Little Voice - Sarah Bareilles

5/10

For other music reviews, be sure to check out my Music Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2012, 2005 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.

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Kitschy Fun Song, Ridiculous Single, “Under The Water” Is Almost Worth Picking Up!

The Good: Decent vocals, Fun lyrics, Interesting sound
The Bad: Repetitive lyrics, Poor use of medium
The Basics: A fun song, “Under The Water” still underwhelms as a single recording, though fans of pop will likely enjoy the quirky quality to it.


I have a thing for obscure female musical artists who may or may not have ever had their one hit to make people wonder. On the site I used to write for, it was absolutely no surprise to me when I learned that I was the only one to review Merril Bainbridge’s two albums The Garden and Between The Days. Bainbridge peaked in the mid-1990s with her song “Mouth” (reviewed here!) and has not been heard in mainstream American music since. Indeed, her follow-up single, “Under The Water” was a shelfwarmer when it was released and now is only available to collectors who hunt for it.

“Under The Water” was released on Bainbridge’s debut album and it is very much a fun pop song that did not peak very high on the charts. This is not a surprise considering most listeners forgot about it immediately after hearing it. The thing is, there are so few good pop songs that are weird and fun, but “Under The Water” has a quirky quality to it that so few songs on the radio seem to have any more. But when Bainbridge released the song, the Spice Girls were on the air and she was unable to break the stranglehold they had on the airwaves. It’s unfortunate because even “Under The Water” is less obnoxious than “Wannabe.”

On the single “Under The Water,” Merril Bainbridge sings the song she wrote, though she does not play any of the instruments on it. She co-produced the song, though, so this does seem to be her musical vision.

“Under The Water” is an acoustic guitar and keyboard-driven light pop song which is performed in the higher registers and without any loud percussion. Instead, the song is a musical storysong about a dream love and it conveys the dreamlike quality through the instrumental accompaniment and Bainbridge’s voice. The song has something most other music on the radio does not have any longer, which is a sense of musical development. The song starts out with only two instruments and as it goes along, with the addition of more voices, the song adds harmonicas and additional guitars, which gives the listener the sense that the song is building to something.

Similarly, Merril Bainbridge’s vocals are enhanced by background singers after a few repetitions of the chorus. Bainbridge has a high, clear soprano voice which actually makes it through most of the lines with a speed that is impressive. She is melodic and establishes the melody beautifully, if in an uncommon vocal range for upbeat pop songs. As the song goes on, her refrain is harmonized with by deep, male voices that sound like svelt dream men who simply repeat her lines. This, surprisingly, enhances the dreamlike quality of the song quite well.

“Under The Water” is terribly repetitive, though, which is a huge liability in a song that is only 4:13 long. The version on the c.d. single is identical the studio-released track on the album The Garden. Bainbridge actually wrote the storysong and it has a deceptively simple progression. She wrote and sang “. . . The last time I saw you, we were in a room / With sunshine in my eyes and water on the floor / I watched you float away: take me with you / A long time ago, we were walking around / We were fooling around in the garden / In the garden air. I saw you turn around / And still you turn around / My eyes are playing tricks on me / How I miss you.” And it works to create a sense of loss and mystique that is more sappy than lonely, which is rare in a pop number.

But, at the end of the day, “Under The Water” is fun and I ultimately recommended the c.d. single for a simple reason. Given how hard it is to find either of Bainbridge’s albums, they are equally likely to run into the single and while it is only a single song on a full compact disc, the song is enjoyable for pop enthusiasts. And it’s wonderful to support an artist, even if she did not produce a volume of work which can be measured on more than one hand.

For other singles, check out my reviews of:
“As I Lay Me Down” – Sophie B. Hawkins
“Wonderwall” - Oasis
“All I Want” – Susanna Hoffs

5.5/10

Check out how this single rates compared to others I reviewed by visiting my Music Review Index Page!

© 2012, 2009 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Another Single Not Worth Hunting Down Now: “Mouth” By Merril Bainbridge!

The Good: Fun song, Decent b-side
The Bad: Both are album cuts, Nothing new, Short!
The Basics: Two good songs do not justify even the mild expense of the c.d. single “Mouth:” pick up The Garden (with both these tracks and more!) instead!


As I find myself once again contemplating the unsold c.d. pile at my local library (damn their slowness with their interlibrary loan requests this past week!), I find myself in the weird position of reviewing a disc I once had, but donated to the library for sale some years ago. As a result, it became pretty much impossible from the outset for me to recommend the single “Mouth” by Merril Bainbridge, despite the fact that the song and its b-side are fun songs.

But, the truth is, no matter how fun “Mouth” and the b-side “Julie” (which is quite a bit sadder) are, the c.d. single is a rapidly dying medium and c.d. singles like “Mouth” are perfect examples of why that is not necessarily a bad thing. “Mouth” and “Julie” (on the U.S. single for “Mouth”) are both album cuts lifted directly off The Garden. There are no differences and as such, listeners are just as likely these days to be able to find the c.d. that has these two tracks (and more) for about the same price as the c.d. single, making this a pointless investment. There are plenty of songs on the eclectic The Garden that are worth listening to, not just “Mouth” and “Julie.”

With only the two songs, occupying just under seven and a half minutes on c.d., “Mouth” is a terrible investment, but it is a decent example of the song stylings of Merril Bainbridge. Bainbridge wrote both songs and provides the lead and backing vocals on the songs. Bainbridge did not play any musical instruments on the songs, nor was she responsible for producing either of them.

Both songs are very much pop songs from the Australian “one-hit wonder.” “Mouth” is an upbeat, keyboard driven song that peaked in the Top 5 in the U.S. It has the implicitly sexual lyrics “Would it be my fault if I could turn you on? / Would I be so bad if I could turn you on? / When I kiss your mouth I want to taste it / Turn you upside down, don't want to waste it / I jump on you, / you jump on me / You push me out . . .” (“Mouth”) no matter how Bainbridge wants to spin it. It is a peppy little pop love song which is a lot of fun, but ultimately forgettable.

On the flip side, the pop ballad “Julie” has Bainbridge performing more in the folk tradition, even vocally. With quiet guitars, she sings “She stops for coffee every morning / Grabs the paper while she is yawning / Wishing she was still in bed / And though her cup is always full / The 8 am express is leaving her without / A choice to stay . . . Julie, / Julie don't you know / You're riding on a carousel / That's going nowhere round and round” (“Julie”) which characterizes well the sense of loss people feel in the modern world servicing their crummy jobs.

Both songs feature Bainbridge’s perky soprano voice which sounds unnaturally perky on “Mouth” and is hard to take seriously on “Julie,” though she has a melodic voice. Bainbridge’s voice is the essence of an auditory smile and it is hard to imagine her doing anything but beaming through her songs, even though “Julie” is a bit more melancholy than her famous “Mouth.”

Ultimately, it’s a moot point. The Garden is often found dirt cheap because Bainbridge’s musical star has set. As a result, it’s a much better deal to pick up that album than this two-track “single.” The low rating of this is not because of quality, but because so much more is available for less when one does get The Garden as opposed to just “Mouth.”

For other interesting female artists, be sure to check out my reviews of:
South - Heather Nova
Human Again (Deluxe Version) – Ingrid Michaelson
Promised Land - Dar Williams

2/10

For other music reviews, please be sure to check out my Music Review Index Page for an organized listing of all the albums and singles I have reviewed!

© 2012, 2010 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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