After an eight-year break from recording, Irish singer-songwriter Damien Rice is back and more cutting than ever. My Favourite Faded Fantasy, released Nov. 10, carefully shapes delicate melodies into sweeping anthems that mimic the expansive nature of his new home in Iceland.
The title track starts off in typical Rice fashion: slow and soothing. But it slowly ramps up with dramatic, frenetic flair to an intense finish complete with thundering drums and electric guitar. All the while Rice wails, “I’ve never loved like you.”
The second track, “It Takes a Lot To Know a Man,” provides an immediate contrast. Broad violins and a clicking tom-tom drum almost overpower Rice as he urges, “It takes a lot to give / To ask for help / To be yourself.” The song is perhaps a reference to the singer’s eight years of soul searching and the complexities of human nature. The strings become more and more intricate, weaving a lilting waltz and maintaining momentum for nearly 10 minutes.
A highlight comes during the heart of the record on “Colour me In.” The sweet ballad swells as Rice, in a rare moment, lets loose and bellows.
However, the final tracks, “Trusty and True” and “Long Long Way,” overwhelm their own beauty by running far too long. After establishing uplifting melodies and reaching a tidy ending, Rice extends each track with an additional, unnecessary minute. Tin whistles and Irish drums build into a crescendo on “Trusty and True,” but the decline repeats over and over. And yet, despite overstaying its welcome with later tracks, My Favourite Faded Fantasy still creates beautiful, heart-aching ballads.
Rating: A-
