Thousand Words (2008)

Product Summary Label: Lions Gate UPC: 00067003079525 Release Date: 6/10/2008 Buy.com Sku: 208072465 Item#: M45X7D Format:  CD Song Listing Disc 1 Song Title Sample 1. After Sunset ~ Styrofoam 2. Thousand Words, A ~ Styrofoam 3. My Next Mistake - (featuring Jim Adkins) ~ Styrofoam 4. No Happy Endings - (featuring Erica Driscoll) ~ Styrofoam 5. Microscope - (featuring Blake Hazard) ~ Styrofoam 6. Thirty To One ~ Styrofoam 7. Other Side of Town ~ Styrofoam 8. Lil White Boy - (featuring Josh Rouse) ~ Styrofoam 9. No Deliveries List - (featuring Lili De La Mora) ~ Styrofoam 10. Bright Red Helmet ~ Styrofoam 11. Final Offer ~ Styrofoam   Album Notes and Credits Notes & Personnel Info Styrofoam: Arne Van Petegem. Personnel: Jim Adkins (vocals, guitars, drums); Jules Lemmens (drums). From the introductory sweep of sweet synths that brightens "After Sunset," A Thousand Words' opening track, it's clear Styrofoam has made a dramatic break with the past. Brushing aside the dark atmospheric clouds and downtempo rhythms that previously infested his sound, Arne Van Petegem has created an album that is surprisingly bright and upbeat. The warm "Sunset" pushes toward pop, while the bubbly "Bright Red Helmet" bounces straight into it with obvious delight. Bright melodies predominate, invariably enhanced by rich, new romantic-ish synths, while the tempos are notably upbeat. There are a couple of more pensive numbers, but even they are only lightly shadowed. Van Petegem handles the bulk of the vocals, and does so with aplomb, another change from the past. Here his singing is pulled to the front of the mix, and bolstered by his own multi-layered harmonies to rich effect -- which means that when guest singers do appear, it's mostly in lovely duet, with the strong pairings including Blake Hazard, Erica Driscoll, and old cohort Jim Adkins. Josh Rouse shines on "Lil White Boy." But for all the signs of new confidence found, Van Petegem still doesn't quite trust his vocals and melodies enough to showcase them on their own. Too often he fills the pieces with just too much electronics, almost annoyingly so on the title track, with the sheer busyness of the songs subtracting from the strength of the melodies and the power of the vocals. So close, but not quite there yet, the artist manages to sabotage himself. Even so, this is Styrofoam's most satisfying set to date, and with a bit more faith in himself, his next one should be unbeatable. ~ Jo-Ann Greene Producer: Wally Gagel; Arne Van Petegem Musical Guests Jim Adkins Erica Driscoll Blake Hazard Josh Rouse Lili De La Mora   Compilation Appearances Now Sound Redesigned   Technical Info Release Date : 06/10/2008 Original Release Date : 2008 Catalog ID : 0795 Label : Nettwerk America Number of Discs : 1 Studio/Live : Studio Mono/Stereo : Stereo SPAR Code : n/a UPC : 00067003079525    Product Image