Track listing
Show track credits
- 1 Hermes Bird 3:56
- 2 Prophecy 3:24
- 3 Life in Rain 3:36
-
mixing
-
- 4 Hollow 6:20
- 5 Problem 3:29
- 6 Whither Vulcan 4:12
-
mixing
-
- 7 Gramarye 5:16
- 8 Yellow Light 4:02
-
additional producer
-
- 9 Motorcycle 3:37
-
mixing
-
- 10 Fair 3:56
-
guitar, Mexican tambora
-
- 11 Goodbye Little World 13:29
-
mixing
-
- Total length: 55:17
Rate/Catalog
Catalog
Set listening
Review
To rate, slide your finger across the stars from left to right.
6 Reviews
-
1
Hermes Bird
-
2
Prophecy
-
3
Life in Rain
-
4
Hollow
-
5
Problem
-
6
Whither Vulcan
-
7
Gramarye
-
8
Yellow Light
-
9
Motorcycle
-
10
Fair
-
11
Goodbye Little World
It's easy to associate Remy Zero with Better Than Ezra- a slightly more notable example of what I refer to as the Southern school of melodic alternative rock. Although the Better Than Ezra comparisons aren't quite as obvious on Villa Elaine as they would become on The Golden Hum, the music is still broadly similar in style to Ezra's How Does Your Garden Grow? (released on the same day in August '98!). In particular, Villa Elaine is marked by a mix of anthemic melodies with arrangements that oscillate between slow-burning alternative rock and power pop. Cinjun Tate is also more emotive than your typical alternative rock frontman, even if there are only a couple tracks that descends into precious balladry ("Life Is Rain", "Fair"). Nothing particularly challenging here, and undoubtedly far too "tame" for fans of grittier, guitar-driven alternative rock, but with enough compositional variety that the music rarely sounds generic.
Villa Elaine is a huge step up from Remy Zero, but it's hard for me to think of the album as anything other than a template for The Golden Hum. The mix of pop and alt rock that works so well on The Golden Hum is already present here, but the album is less cohesive and far less memorable than its successor. This is especially true of the slower-building tracks, which are a bit noisier than corresponding selections off The Golden Hum and often fail to zero in on a satisfying climax. "Hermes Bird", "Hollow", and "Yellow Light" are all kept from greatness by this lack of melodic focus. All of this being said, Villa Elaine is still a remarkably polished record for what was still a young band. It's also an album where every track is distinguished by a distinctive groove or vocal hook, making it an easy record to listen through in its entirety. I love the overall style of Villa Elaine, but it's clearly a couple hits away from being a great release.
As the analysis above might suggest, Villa Elaine is dominated by "merely good" tracks that nicely hold their place yet quickly fade from memory. The one possible exception here is "Gramarye"- a relatively groove-centric slice of moody alt rock that prefigures the more ambitious side of The Golden Hum. "Prophecy" and "Problem" should also appeal to lovers of alternative-tinged radio rock, although both tracks have the feel of atypically catchy deep cuts. "Fair" is the final track here that deserves specific mention, if only for its use in the renowned Garden State soundtrack, and it's definitely the selection that most anticipates the soaring arena rock side of The Golden Hum. The remainder of Villa Elaine is a fun listen but hardly demands repeated listening. I will say that there are only two tracks here that completely fall flat: the overly precious "Life Is Rain" and the overlong "Hollow".
If you're a big fan of melodic alternative rock from the late-90's, Remy Zero is a band that's well worth checking out. I simply suggest that such listeners begin their exploration with The Golden Hum. If you enjoy The Golden Hum, Villa Elaine is an excellent follow-up purchase. A good yet not-quite-great release that falls nears the upper end of the 3.0-star range.
6.4/10
Published
ADVERTISEMENT
So so good.
Remy Zero have some of the best harmony guitar work this side of Radiohead, and the quality of their songs is top notch. Everything from the strummed acoustic work to the piano to the great riffs and moving vocals is a delight to listen to.
Remy Zero have some of the best harmony guitar work this side of Radiohead, and the quality of their songs is top notch. Everything from the strummed acoustic work to the piano to the great riffs and moving vocals is a delight to listen to.
Published
0,5 star for being better than Britney Spears
1 star for Life in Rain
1 star for Fair
Which gives us 2,5 stars
1 star for Life in Rain
1 star for Fair
Which gives us 2,5 stars
Published
What a great album. So lush, so rich, but so natural-sounding and alive that it breathes. Villa Elaine is named after the crud LA hotel in which these Tennessee lads crashed while recording this album, having just moved there from their former home state.
I discovered Remy Zero by stumbling upon Villa Elaine while in a Santa Monica record store in 1998. I found it on the 'new releases' rack so I road-tested it on the headphones. It has two killer opening tracks, "Hermes Bird" and "Prophesy". Then comes the exceptional "Life In The Rain" at track 3, a sighing slow-mover with nothing but the lovely quiet guitar, and singer Cinjun Tate's breathy presence that reflects "I once had marigolds for eyes that seemed to fade on sunny days...". By then I've been put into the trance and am gonna hear the whole album out. Fulfilling the promise of the fine opening tracks is "Hollow", and another excellent slow cooing track "Whither Vulcan". Every song is good, and like all good albums, the final string of tracks are great. No filler whatsoever. "Fair" is another great song, before the fun final track, "Goodbye Little World", which recounts the comforts of being happy rather than simply being rich.
I'm amazed that Remy Zero are barely heard of, and not just here in Australia, but in their homeland of the USA too. How the hell is it possible that William Hung stands to sell more albums than Villa Elaine? I guess Remy Zero have suffered the jinx of being lauded by NME. But *egad* NME actually got it right: this album is indeed top quality, and deserves better recognition. Anyone into Death Cab or The Shins may wanna try out this.
I discovered Remy Zero by stumbling upon Villa Elaine while in a Santa Monica record store in 1998. I found it on the 'new releases' rack so I road-tested it on the headphones. It has two killer opening tracks, "Hermes Bird" and "Prophesy". Then comes the exceptional "Life In The Rain" at track 3, a sighing slow-mover with nothing but the lovely quiet guitar, and singer Cinjun Tate's breathy presence that reflects "I once had marigolds for eyes that seemed to fade on sunny days...". By then I've been put into the trance and am gonna hear the whole album out. Fulfilling the promise of the fine opening tracks is "Hollow", and another excellent slow cooing track "Whither Vulcan". Every song is good, and like all good albums, the final string of tracks are great. No filler whatsoever. "Fair" is another great song, before the fun final track, "Goodbye Little World", which recounts the comforts of being happy rather than simply being rich.
I'm amazed that Remy Zero are barely heard of, and not just here in Australia, but in their homeland of the USA too. How the hell is it possible that William Hung stands to sell more albums than Villa Elaine? I guess Remy Zero have suffered the jinx of being lauded by NME. But *egad* NME actually got it right: this album is indeed top quality, and deserves better recognition. Anyone into Death Cab or The Shins may wanna try out this.
Published
This album is the single greatest CD ever created. Every song is totally different, so you never need to skip any tracks, and you will never get bored listening to this CD. _Villa Elaine_ is like a journey through a totally different world of music and reality. I have been listening to this album everyday for 3 years now, and I never get tired of it. I recommend this album to anyone who likes music, entertainment, or just wants to get away. I rate this album higher than any other album created.
Published
Remy Zero is the dopest band ever! I would worship them if I
wasn't already a flaming Satanist.
wasn't already a flaming Satanist.
Published
ADVERTISEMENT
Votes are used to help determine the most interesting content on RYM.
Vote up content that is on-topic, within the rules/guidelines, and will likely stay relevant long-term.
Vote down content which breaks the rules.
Vote up content that is on-topic, within the rules/guidelines, and will likely stay relevant long-term.
Vote down content which breaks the rules.
Catalog
18 Mar 2023
13 Mar 2023
-
1
Hermes Bird
-
2
Prophecy
-
3
Life in Rain
-
4
Hollow
-
5
Problem
-
6
Whither Vulcan
-
7
Gramarye
-
8
Yellow Light
-
9
Motorcycle
-
10
Fair
-
11
Goodbye Little World
28 Feb 2023
14 Feb 2023
6 Feb 2023
17 Nov 2022
10 Oct 2022
22 Sep 2022
29 Jul 2022
-
1
Hermes Bird
-
2
Prophecy
-
3
Life in Rain
-
4
Hollow
-
5
Problem
-
6
Whither Vulcan
-
7
Gramarye
-
8
Yellow Light
-
9
Motorcycle
-
10
Fair
-
11
Goodbye Little World
9 Jul 2022
9 Dec 2021
30 Sep 2021
29 Sep 2021
8 Aug 2021
28 Jun 2021
- Be respectful! All the community rules apply here.
- Keep your comments focused on the release. Don't post randomness/off-topic comments. Jokes are fine, but don't post tactless/inappropriate ones.
- Don't get in arguments with people here, or start long discussions. Use the boards for extended discussion.
- Don't use this space to complain about the average rating, chart position, genre voting, others' reviews or ratings, or errors on the page.
- Don't comment just to troll/provoke. Likewise, don't respond to trollish comments; just report them and ignore them.
- Any spoilers should be placed in spoiler tags as such: [spoiler](spoiler goes here)[/spoiler]
Note: Unlike reviews, comments are considered temporary and may be deleted/purged without notice.