Finding time to actually listen to this thing will be tough for anyone who isn't a cross-country trucker or scientist at an Arctic research station, but it doesn't seem to be worth the time in any case -- the usual stable of common DT criticisms are even more valid with this release. The irony of this band recording an album titled "Awake" seems almost too poetic to be worth mentioning at this point. D
Steven Wilson* continues in his apparent Alan Parsons apprenticeship by giving Opeth's pseudo double album a fresh appraisal. Remixing Damnation seems like trying to touch up the Mona Lisa, but Deliverance is certainly improved with the additional breathing room in the lower registers and is up there with Still Life as their best heavy material and Damnation is just as melancholic and lush as ever. B-
Surprisingly stacked (Tony Levin, Jordan Rudess), Bowie's first album with Tony Visconti in 22 years seems less out-there than than Hours... and more emotionally grounded than practically anything else in his catalog. Rudess' keyboards elevate the simpler pieces ("Everyone Says Hi" in particular is a standout) while the rest of the album is more confident and at-ease than Bowie would ever sound again. B
*: Apparently Wilson only actually worked on Damnation while Deliverance was handled by Bruce Soord.
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