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Harcourt experiments in more ways than one on this album, never overindulgent in the process.
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Alternative PressHis honky-tonk piano ballads are a little less haunted and more memorable. [June 2003, p.104]
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The listener's attention drifts as Harcourt dips into sleepy introspection, although his voice is so arresting that one won't wander for long.
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Unlike his obvious contemporaries - David Gray and Tom McRae - Harcourt has produced an album that reaches out beyond the boundaries of the traditional songwriter, yet still comes packed with memorable melodies and robust songs.
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He comes across like a smarter, gentler sidekick to Badly Drawn Boy.
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Entertainment WeeklyHis songs recall both the musical inventiveness of Captain Beefheart and the mopey poetry of Elliot Smith. [30 May 2003, p.116]
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FilterThere's greatness there somewhere but Harcourt needs to spend more time feeling, not doing. [#5, p.91]
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Harcourt would do himself well by spending a bit more time on his lyrics; a lot of the time it sounds as though he's just filling in the space between choruses.
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MagnetA record that blows up like a supernova and runs the dinner-jacket nobility of its predecessor through a wood chipper. [#59, p.96]
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MojoFor every aching melodic twist and sagacious lyric, there's a lumpy, sub-Beach Boys dirge and dicing-with-doggerel couplet to negotiate. [Mar 2003, p.103]
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Harcourt might err too far towards gentle whimsy for rock fundamentalists, but otherwise 'From Every Sphere' is a rich treasure trove of sun-kissed grace and summery magic.
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To be fair, there is redemption embedded within, a few genuinely interesting bits wedged between stacks and stacks of gooey piano ballads.
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It's a move on from 'Here Be Monsters', musically if not lyrically, and, for all his world-weary posturing, he's still only 25 for God's sake, though obviously in love with the idea of being a great singer songwriter.
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A work of polished vagaries, delivered with a real swagger.
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Q MagazineLike his debut, From Every Sphere chokes on moments of indigestible excess. [Mar 2003, p.108]
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With a painterly command of the palette of sound and a fondness for the sweet melody of a lullaby, Harcourt is cousin to multi-instrumental songwriters such as Brian Wilson and Badly Drawn Boy.
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While such diversity isn't necessarily a bad thing, it does tend to break the rhythm of his albums.
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From Every Sphere is frequently let down by Harcourt’s mediocre songwriting.
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UncutFrom Every Sphere is the ultimate grower, which moves, in your mind, from quite nice to utterly compelling and addictive over a matter of days, or better, nights. [Album of the Month, March 2003, p.94]
User score distribution:
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Positive: 4 out of 5
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Mixed: 0 out of 5
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Negative: 1 out of 5
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mattaJul 18, 2005
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KBMay 6, 2005
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GarrethOApr 22, 2003