Jenny-fa

Bwehhh… I’m running out of worthwhile subjects to blog about. My personal life’s still as stubbornly miserable and hopeless as ever, so I suppose it’s time for another review!

The American rock band, Evanescence (their official U.S. Web site, by the way, is simply beautiful), released their second studio album, The Open Door, on October 3, 2006. My brother purchased the album for me last Christmas (the first present I’ve received from him in a decade, it seems), and now I shall endeavor to spread the joy.

But my dear Jenny-fa, you may be privately ruminating, an American rock band? Doesn’t Jenny-fa possess a certain disdain for American music and Western culture in general (as evidenced by this blog’s category description for “Asian music”: “I scorn music from the Western countries, especially the United States”)? Well, even now, my opinions regarding anything spawned from American pop culture remain largely unfavorable, but Evanescence is the sole, shining exception. A brilliant, sparkling gem from amongst the dirty, feces-stained rubble, if you’d like. But allow me to elucidate first.

The music produced by Evanescence draws on several different genres, including gothic rock, alternative rock, nu metal, piano rock, and Wagnerian rock. Because of this, their sound is mostly dark, often combining distorted guitars, piano, and operatic choral arrangements. However, their lyrics are clean and poetic, although filled with similarly dark themes pertaining to death and other abstractions, such as fear and self-loathing. I personally can’t stand sappy, sickly love songs with meaningless words, so these distinguishing features further endeared them to me.

Then, there’s the lead vocalist, Amy Lee, who also writes lyrics and plays piano for the band. Amy Lee is… amazing. Whether she’s whispering spoken lines or belting out a chorus, her voice is always strong, clear, melodious, and spectacularly ethereal; her singularly beautiful but powerful vocalizations lend exceptionally well to the band’s gothic compositions.

Evanescence’s first studio album, Fallen, as I understand it, was a global bestseller, selling over 14 million copies worldwide and attaining 6x Platinum certification in the U.S. The Open Door, likewise, debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 and enjoyed strong sales. In terms of recording quality, the both of them are marvelous, but I feel Fallen surpassed The Open Door when it came to originality and polish. Moreover, Fallen had some very catchy and unforgettable tracks, such as “Bring Me to Life” and “My Immortal” — difficult for anyone to top. Nevertheless, The Open Door did have its rewards, including the hit single “Call Me When You’re Sober,” and some of my other favorites, “Sweet Sacrifice,” “Weight of the World,” “Like You,” and “Your Star.”

The Open Door — track listing

1. Sweet Sacrifice
2. Call Me When You’re Sober
3. Weight of the World
4. Lithium
5. Cloud Nine
6. Snow White Queen
7. Lacrymosa
8. Like You
9. Lose Control
10. The Only One
11. Your Star
12. All That I’m Living For
13. Good Enough

Additionally, in the tradition of “My Immortal,” Amy Lee wrote another piano/symphonic ballad, “Good Enough,” which concludes the album.

Jenny-fa’s Verdict: 4 stars (out of 5). It hasn’t left my CD player for several weeks now, and I highly recommend it.

“And I’m alone now
me and all I stood for
we’re all wandering now
all in parts and pieces, swim lonely
find your own way out…”

— Excerpt from “Your Star” by Evanescence