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 Eh, it's no Grave Dancer's Union Aug 21, 2008
This album is fine. I'm a Soul Asylum fan, and I bought this for less than 3 dollars, including S&H. There are a few songs that a good on here, most notably "Misery", but the others sort of fade into obscurity. I have no idea why Butch Vig even produced this, you don't hear any of the layering that we got on Nirvana's "Nevermind". Even so, if you're a fan, buy the album. But buyer beware.
0 of 2 found the following review helpful:
good but with some weaknesses Jul 23, 2006
Let Your Dim Light Shine is very similar in style, but not substance with Grave Dancer's Union. Very raw and grungy songs with Dave giving into to his more melodic side, but at the same time not fully withdrawing from his roots.
"Misery" surely packs in some flavor with this big, but not too big hit from the band. The song ultimately led me to the band, but not too fond of the lyrics. The music is w/o a doubt the as good as the band can get. It does grow on you eventually after a gajillion listens, so I guess that's the good thing.
I like "Shut Down" for simply what it's worth. Not too complex, over produced, or watered down. It has a nice sound, good chorus, some backing vocals, and the lyrics aren't that bad either.
Almost country, and almost folk is sort of the tune from which "To My Own Devices" comes packaged with. It's more or less a nice relaxing southern type flare with of course their Minneapolis influences. Has a nice subtle slow tempo.
One of my favorite tracks is "Hopes Up." Surprising it brings in a great beat, and maybe the best sing-a-long lyrics.
A softer approach with "Promises Brokens" is somewhat not as fresh as I'd want it to be, but nonetheless it is still very soothing.
"Bittersweetheart" rages on with a great chorus but some of the ryhmes seem a little too forceful.
Now "String of Pearls" has a great 80's vibe to it with the guitar solo breaks, and resonating metrodome thing. The 'oooohs' along with it are nice touch too. Some people may bash this song because the lyrics are garblely-junk, but really if you just let them be, it's an awesome song, and Dave tells the story with authority.
"Crawl" and "Caged Rat" sadly are just fillers on this 14 track album. I know, I know, some may disagree, but it's hard to really get into either one. Both seems somewhat forceful, but give them a break. I think that the album does need both on here, b/c they really aren't that bad of songs, just have mixed punk along with 90's retro-rock.
Another story-telling song is "Eyes of a Child." Once again, the lyrics may seem kind of out there, but I'm sure Dave knew what he was doing with this one. The song flows exactly like "String of Pearls" only with out the bells and whistles.
Nothing gets more down to human life than "Just Like Anyone." Accompianed with a music video and single, it's about a girl hoping to be noticed by other people and not some outcast. I get the impression that the girl in the song is thinking about life while sitting on the crapper. (Listen to the words, and you'll understand)
A nice electric wave of guitars and folk rock allows "Tell Me When" to be a great song. The words however, are slightly hard to pick up during the soft parts of the song.
"Nothing to Write Home About" would have been a great last song on this album for it sort of wraps up thing about just not giving a damn and moving on with the way things are going. An even better last song does come with "I Did My Best" which is beautiful piano, soft guitar, excellent drifting songs. Lyrics are outstanding too.
There are definately peaks and valleys on Let Your Dim Light Shine. The variance and uniqueness of the songs alone make it a good buy which you can probably pick up for a buck at a used CD store these days. If only for "Misery" you might get caught off guard and soon pick up on this band and the album. I did.
 Excellent, as always Feb 13, 2006
I'm a long time fan of Soul Asylum, this being the 4th album of theirs that I bought, and I can only wish I bought it sooner! It has everything about Soul Asylum that I love, from the brilliantly intellectual lyrics (String of Pearls) to a little bit of country (Bittersweet Heart) and a little bit of pop (Misery), carefully blended together to create a lovely album. A must buy if you are fan, and if you are new listener, perhaps a good buy to experience the variety they are capable of (you will be hooked!).
their dim light shines bright Aug 14, 2005
Man oh Man, this is one fine rock n roll album. I bought it
in 1995 when I was 14 years old and its still one of my favorite records ever. I dont like to hype things too much for fear that people will be disappointed but if someone doesnt like this then we have nothing in common when it comes to music. Misery is a song among songs and is what made me a fan in the first place. Promises Broken and I Did my best are Grade A country rockers. I cant think of a bad thing to say about this album or this band, cant wait to hear what they put out next.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
"frustrated incorporated" May 21, 2005
"Misery" is far and away the standout track on this album. It's a perfect pop song, much more tuneful and catchy than anything else here. There's some other good stuff, but some of it is pretty lackluster and almost irritating to be honest. "Shut Down" is pretty good. I like about half of "String of Pearls." As another reviewer here noted, the lyrics are a bit embarrassing at times. And let's face it, when it comes to hard rocking, this band is far from the hardest, although they often deliberately go for a mellower direction on this album.
I thought "Misery" would be a huge hit when I first picked up the single. It seemed to perfectly ridicule the marketing of teen-age angst while celebrating it at the same time. Some of the other reviewers here who criticized the lyrics just didn't get them: they're pretty brilliant. Now I understand why this song didn't take off - it hits a little too close to the bone for the tastes of your average angst-rock fan. I think in some way it reveals a little too much, something they'd rather not consider (especially while trying to rock out).
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