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This is not a remarkable album by any stretch, although its packaging is--it contains a punch-out mobile as a booklet--but it is a further step in the development of a singular and ever elusive artist who possesses a truckload of talent, but is still unsure of which direction to head to realize it all.
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While Dreaming of Revenge is a frustrating Swiss cheese in execution, its strongest passages still indicate that King might yet grow into one of the most intriguing instrumental musicians of her generation.
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MojoWith too many pastel-shaded instrumentals, the album lacks the previous album's molten touch and her live show's surging spirit. [June 2008, p.114]
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Q MagazineIt's a finely textured, quietly hypnotic collection showcasing her guitar chops inside mellifluous, complex songs. [Aug 2008, p.139]
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There is much to admire here the more you listen, the more it will grow on you.
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King's songs are mainly to blame, sugary sub-Lisa Loeb numbers that have arrived 10 years too late to soundtrack Dawson's Creek plot twists.
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While not all of King’s attempts to focus her talent into ‘proper songs’ come off, when she nails it, we can’t help but agree with Dave Grohl that she’s one of the greatest guitarists in the world.
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King's vocals (on four of the 11 tracks) are more of a distraction than they were on "Red," though they add just the right amount of spice to make Revenge enjoyable from beginning to end.
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That astounding guitar mastery is still evident, but Dreaming seems more interested in evoking deeper moods than showing off. [Mar 2008, p.104]
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Entertainment WeeklySomehow the 28-year-old has created possibly her most sophisticated release yet. [14 Mar 2008, p.75]
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Here she mostly spools out her intricate patterns in drifting postrock soundscapes, which are pleasant enough ('Sad American,' 'Montreal'). But when she sings a good, selfish pop song, she’s on to something else entirely.
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Ideas thin at the end ("Can Anyone Who Has Heard This Music Really Be a Bad Person?"), but when blithe builds to a six-string gallop on stilling closer "2 O'Clock," Revenge kills.
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While King's songs often hew closer to contemporary classical than pop, the patient listener will discern new colors in these lovely painted-desert landscapes with each listen.
User score distribution:
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Positive: 11 out of 13
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Mixed: 1 out of 13
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Negative: 1 out of 13
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DannyT.Mar 16, 2008May the future of all great music be steered down the right road by records such as this.