This came out in 2005 — or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
One man’s happiness is another man’s heartbreak.
I was reminded of that little nugget of wisdom after listening to sensitive singer-songwriter Ed Harcourt’s third album Strangers — or, to be more precise, after reading the press kit and then listening to the disc. In the PR bumpf, Harcourt insists he’s “happy” these days thanks to a new romance, and as a result this is a “more immediate, upbeat album” than its 2003 predecessor From Every Sphere.
Well, he’s got a point — relatively speaking. The 13 songs on Strangers may be a little more optimistic and accessible than Sphere’s more downcast and ambitious moments. But Ed’s mood elevator hasn’t quite reached the penthouse yet either, if you follow my drift. From his minor-key piano balladry to his earnest lyrics, Harcourt clearly remains a man whose heart-on-his-sleeve passion and oh-so-serious nature preclude him from displaying anything as fleeting or trivial as giddiness.
Thankfully, those same qualities also inspire him to write some seriously compelling songs. Like these cuts from Strangers:
The Storm Is Coming | 4:51
A squall of edgy, angry guitar feedback introduces a thundering Led Zeppelin-style beat, followed by a crashing wave of moody piano chords that make this paean to impending love sound like the opening theme to The Office as performed by Coldplay and sung by Bono.
BEST LINE: “Once I was so young and careless / Never strayed much from the past / Now I find myself in trouble / Never knowing when to laugh.”
Born In The ’70s | 3:15
As a Byrdsy 12-string guitar, a chiming melody and a ringing piano set a jaunty pace, a motormouthed Ed spews a stream of nostalgia about his own childhood — then suggests it’s time for his generation to take over.
BEST LINE: “After a length of time / You’re this parody / Just like the record’s stuck / Always repeating the past.”
This One’s For You | 4:49
A tremolo-laced guitar lends a woozy, dreamlike quality to a languid, orch-tinged tale of head-over-heels passion reminiscent of Rufus Wainwright.
BEST LINE: “I feel so far away from love / Because I can never get enough.”
Strangers | 3:30
Ed testifies to the resilience of love with the help of a burbling Wurlitzer organ, staccato guitar arpeggios, a sweet violin, a lightly bouncy beat — and a kazoo.
BEST LINE: “Deliciously, I drink up all your tears / On a piano out of tune I sit and persevere.”
Let Love Not Weigh Me Down | 4:19
Every hopeless romantic loves a great waltz. Let Love Not Weigh Me Down is a corker, kicking off with a big, reverberating drum fill, moving back and forth between poignant piano balladry and lush orchestral grandeur with seamless grace, and incorporating everything from plucky violins to howling guitars.
BEST LINE: “I won’t regret what I can’t forget.”
Something To Live For | 2:32
A wheezy pump organ, a dusty, underproduced vocal and some peripheral chimes make for a quietly enchanting ode to enchantment.
BEST LINE: “I hope that I can hold on to the beauty that I’ll never match.”
The Trapdoor | 4:49
Ed channels the ghost of Nick Drake — with echoes of Neil Young — on this ethereal dream-ballad positioned somewhere between Pink Moon and Harvest Moon.
BEST LINE: “There’s always a trapdoor wherever you step / Keep your eyes open, you deserve what you get.”
The Music Box | 3:26
From love to war. Ed casts his eye on the civilian casualties of combat with this funereally paced ballad — accented by an oddly funky clavinet.
BEST LINE: “Burnt to black there’s a face you don’t recognize / Just a doll with hollow eyes.”
Loneliness | 2:53
Harcourt gets his Bono on with this anthemic rocker highlighted by a soaring chorus. Despite its title, this is the disc’s most upbeat and commercial cut.
BEST LINE: “Your love is a place for a lonely man with too much in his head.”
Open Book | 4:39
Drinking in the morning and trying to keep it together, Harcourt plinks at his piano and picks through the pieces of love gone wrong. A brace of snare drums lend a firing-squad element of doom to the proceedings.
BEST LINE: “It’s clear to us this love affair has self-combusted everywhere / And I don’t feel so debonair.”
Kids (Rise From the Ashes) | 4:31
Ed, it seems, believes that children are the future. So he serenades them with this gently earnest piano-pop ode, accented by a slightly trippy space-rock bridge and Bowiesque vocal. ‘Cause, you know, the kids love their David Bowie.
BEST LINE: “What’s the world afraid of now? / We are taught to clap our hands and bow.”
Black Dress | 3:17
Moving to the backporch to savor the morning, a lovestruck Harcourt gets rootsy with the help of some boom-chikka drums, a chirpy trumpet, a swelling organ.
BEST LINE: “Our lives are barely built to last / How did you creep up on me so damn fast?”
Only Happy When You’re High | 4:22
A ghost is reborn as Ed borrows a page from Wilco’s book, setting a wintry piano tinkle against a rumbly background, some brushed drums and plenty of stark, minimalist weirdness.
BEST LINE: “You fear the truth and I’m paranoid / If we go on like this we’ll both be destroyed.”
