Damien Rice – O

For those of us with a few more years behind us, we enjoy the benefit of greater wisdom, more life experience and an inflated sense of self importance… most of which is complete bollocks of course… however, we do have slightly more exposure to some great records that have come out of the years. If we are lucky enough we also have the benefit of hearing these records at the time they are released so we can share the experience with our mates.

Damien Rice’s-‘O’ was one of these and as a 20 something year old at the time studying music in Brighton -Uk, it was a sort of confirmation for me, that yes, with some basic equipment, hard work and tenacity you can make a great record and be a monster success… so on I went, easy right?

O is a musicians fantasy, a record put together in a home studio using the spaces around you, a few mic’s and the people around you for next to nothing. No enormous recording studio’s or well oiled record labels pumping out mainstream marketing campaigns and racking up huge recoup deals to contend with, just the simple task of making the best record you can with what you have around you.

It feels like that from the outset too, beautifully played acoustic guitars that at some points feel like they are barely being strummed, wonderfully dry vocals that don’t hide behind ‘Grammy award winning’ delay\reverb settings and masterfully constructed string arrangements that elevate tracks in just the right way. Even with today’s modern sample libraries and extremely clever mixing techniques I always feel that the power of real musicians playing string instruments together in the same room eclipses the digitally manipulated equivalent. There is just something about a bucket load of air being moved by real people that I adore.

There are musical cameo’s peppering the record throughout. Damien Rice’s partner both professionally and personally features on the record and there is even an opera singer along with Gregorian chanting hiding away in a couple of tracks… I shall leave you to find out which. The song writing is sublime as well, perfectly formed songs by themselves that never feel anchored or subdued creatively. The arrangements move between just simple guitar and vocals to huge multilayered carcophonys, ‘I remember’ develops into one of these sections towards the end of the track. Other tracks which were highlights for me were ‘The Blowers Daughter’, ‘Amie’, ‘Cheers Darlin’ and ‘Cold Water’.

O is a record that provided me with huge inspiration as a young musician. It proved to me that big budgets and extravagant studios were becoming a thing of the past and helped usher in an era of ‘in the box’ recording in basements, garden sheds, disused factories and public loos to name a few choice locations. Listening today it still feels as fresh as the day I heard it and I can easily recommend it, a modern, truthful, Indie masterpiece.