Track listing
Show track credits
- 1 When I See You Smile 1:46
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guitar
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- 2 Get Some Sleep 3:35
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electric guitar, acoustic guitar
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bass
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drums
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12 string acoustic guitar, vocals
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Milan Borich12 string acoustic guitar, vocals
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Ben Kingvocals
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Jay Foulkestambourine
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vocal arrangements
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- 3 Something Good 3:18
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drums, Dobro, 12 string acoustic guitar
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electric guitar
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bass
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Milan Borichvocals
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vocals
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Duncan Haynesstring arrangements
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- 4 Precious Things 3:53
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piano, Wurlitzer
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tenor guitar
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sound effects
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Alan Greggbass
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tenor guitar
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Luke Tomesdrum programming, gong
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Andy Mortonsamples, drum programming
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- 5 The Be All and End All 3:22
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acoustic guitar
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upright bass
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vocals, piano, Wurlitzer
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Josh Hodgsonacoustic guitar
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Bob Heinzbanjo
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- 6 Election Night 3:04
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piano, electric guitar, samples
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upright bass
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electric guitar
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Alan Greggelectric bass
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Luke Tomesdrum programming
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Andy Mortondrum programming
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Geoff Maddockelectric guitar
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Darryl Wardhi-hat
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editing
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- 7 Honest Goodbyes 3:58
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guitar, piano
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upright bass
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drums
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Duncan Haynesstring arrangements
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Bob Heinzguitar
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- 8 She Left on a Monday 3:57
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piano, acoustic guitar, electric guitar
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bass
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drums
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Jay Foulkestambourine
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vocal arrangements, vocals
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Pearl Rungavocals, vocal arrangements
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Harry Harrisonslide guitar
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Sophia Rungavocal arrangements
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- 9 Beautiful Collision 3:45
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piano, string arrangements
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drums
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Jay Foulkespercussion
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vocal arrangements
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Duncan Haynesstring arrangements
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Alan Greggbass
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Andy Mortonbass synth, keyboards
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- 10 Listening for the Weather 3:29
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Wurlitzer, harmonica
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bass
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drums
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Milan Borichvocals
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Jay Foulkestambourine
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vocals
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Geoff Maddockelectric guitar
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- 11 Counting the Days 2:16
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drums, Dobro, electric guitar
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bass
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Bob Heinzbanjo
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Stu Buchananclarinet
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- 12 Gravity 3:40
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piano
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sound effects
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Alan Greggbass
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Luke Tomesdrum programming
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Geoff Maddock12 string acoustic guitar, 12 string electric guitar
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- Total length: 40:03
Rate/Catalog
Catalog
Set listening
Review
To rate, slide your finger across the stars from left to right.
5 Issues
- Release view [combined information for all issues]
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-
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Beautiful Collision Bonus CD, Limited Edition, Paper/Cardboard Sleeve
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Beautiful Collision Bonus Tracks
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Beautiful Collision Bonus Tracks
17 Reviews
On surface level this might seem like your generic introspective female singer-songwriting collection of songs but I think this record is something more anyway. While I wouldn't give 10/10 to every single track on here, the majority of songs are so well and lovingly crafted and performed and produced with impeccable taste.
I haven't been able to stop listening to it for close to two months now :D
I haven't been able to stop listening to it for close to two months now :D
Published
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Following Drive, Runga recalls playing Lilith Fair alongside Jewel and Sheryl Crow, and realising that that she didn’t like any of the female singers she was lumped in with. Runga gained my attention after transforming styles into the sunny pop of her second album, Beautiful Collision. She enlisted a veritable who’s who of New Zealand music, including Dave Dobbyn, Neil Finn, Pluto’s Milan Borich, various members of Goldenhorse, and her sister Boh. The result’s a charming album of sophisticated pop, full of gorgeous string sections, but with enough whimsy and personality to avert blandness.
Beautiful Collision is full of good songs, opening with the sweet and minimal ‘When I See You Smile’, with just Runga and her guitar, followed by a beautifully constructed and upbeat singles, the wonderfully effervescent ‘Something Good’, with a beautiful string interlude, and ‘Get Some Sleep’. These are balanced by more introspective moments like ‘Honest Goodbyes’ and ‘She Left On A Monday’, and topped off by more ambitious pieces like the closing ‘Gravity’, where the arrangement is constantly waiting for a delicate piano figure that only appears intermittently. The title track is one of the most eloquent songs ever written about sex, while ‘Listening For The Weather’ is yet another gorgeous piece.
You could argue that Beautiful Collision is a little generic, but it’s an accomplished collection of sophisticated pop music, a huge step forward from her uninteresting debut.
Beautiful Collision is full of good songs, opening with the sweet and minimal ‘When I See You Smile’, with just Runga and her guitar, followed by a beautifully constructed and upbeat singles, the wonderfully effervescent ‘Something Good’, with a beautiful string interlude, and ‘Get Some Sleep’. These are balanced by more introspective moments like ‘Honest Goodbyes’ and ‘She Left On A Monday’, and topped off by more ambitious pieces like the closing ‘Gravity’, where the arrangement is constantly waiting for a delicate piano figure that only appears intermittently. The title track is one of the most eloquent songs ever written about sex, while ‘Listening For The Weather’ is yet another gorgeous piece.
You could argue that Beautiful Collision is a little generic, but it’s an accomplished collection of sophisticated pop music, a huge step forward from her uninteresting debut.
Published
I'd read a bunch of people saying that Bic Runga was an exceptionally talented singer, so I gave it a try. Unfortunately this music is exactly what you'd expect, easy-listening yuppie-pop drivel with a very talented, but totally generic, uninteresting vocalist. Her voice has a great basic sound, but there's not much personality here, just cliches. Some of this is more or less acceptable to me and some is a bit unacceptable, depending on how cynical or aesthetically charged I'm feeling at a given moment of course, but there's probably nothing I'd rate higher than 2.5 stars. She is apparently a big pop star in New Zealand, and I'm sure many of her fans are middle-aged men.
Published
This rating is only for the 7 track bonus disc, (the actual album wasn't included at the buck shop where I bought this). Half of the bonus disc is perty good.
Published
Beautiful Collision, my first exposure to Bic Runga, somehow reminds me of Jack Johnson in its I'm-just-sittin'-here-relaxin'-strumming-my-guitar attitude. While I'm perfectly aware that this comparison really isn't fair to her — he's an irritating asshole with no voice, charm or talent, and it's rather hard to reach that sort of quality standard — there's something in this album that spells out tropical breezes and palm trees in a sort of falsely emotional, condescending way.
She has a rather pleasant voice: it tends to get strident on high notes, but otherwise has a nice reedy tone. As for the music, its problem is insincerity: it's melodic enough, agreeable enough, but it feels like a fake. Generically shallow, it often aspires to becoming something better, but its futile attempts to acquire some distinctive trait backfire and the whole just doesn't want to stick together. Instruments other than the obvious requisites of 21st century blandness and blah-ness (hey, there's a banjo in there! and a harmonica!) sound like an afterthought, a lousy photoshop job in which a badly done cut-out of a songbird has been awkwardly pasted into a landscape from another country.
But it still ain't Jack Johnson: BC doesn't strum guitars often (and certainly not with as much vigour), and she favours the piano as her background noise of choice.
As for the following lyrics, BC actually does pronounce 'you' as 'ya', except that instead of sounding like a New Zealand accent (which would be nice, wouldn't you say?), that little mispronunciation sounds like an annoying attempt to be hip, or whatever that state of
being where it's at
is called these days.
Just wanna know ya
Just wanna talk to ya
I wanna hear about your day
I'd never leave ya
Never be mean to ya
I'd always let you get your way
Maybe Beautiful Collision was the result of her letting her 'ya' -- producer/co-writer/whoever -- get his way.
She has a rather pleasant voice: it tends to get strident on high notes, but otherwise has a nice reedy tone. As for the music, its problem is insincerity: it's melodic enough, agreeable enough, but it feels like a fake. Generically shallow, it often aspires to becoming something better, but its futile attempts to acquire some distinctive trait backfire and the whole just doesn't want to stick together. Instruments other than the obvious requisites of 21st century blandness and blah-ness (hey, there's a banjo in there! and a harmonica!) sound like an afterthought, a lousy photoshop job in which a badly done cut-out of a songbird has been awkwardly pasted into a landscape from another country.
But it still ain't Jack Johnson: BC doesn't strum guitars often (and certainly not with as much vigour), and she favours the piano as her background noise of choice.
As for the following lyrics, BC actually does pronounce 'you' as 'ya', except that instead of sounding like a New Zealand accent (which would be nice, wouldn't you say?), that little mispronunciation sounds like an annoying attempt to be hip, or whatever that state of
being where it's at
is called these days.
Just wanna know ya
Just wanna talk to ya
I wanna hear about your day
I'd never leave ya
Never be mean to ya
I'd always let you get your way
Maybe Beautiful Collision was the result of her letting her 'ya' -- producer/co-writer/whoever -- get his way.
Published
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1 When I See You Smile
-
2 Get Some Sleep
-
3 Something Good
-
4 Precious Things
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5 The Be All and End All
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6 Election Night
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7 Honest Goodbyes
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8 She Left on a Monday
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9 Beautiful Collision
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10 Listening for the Weather
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11 Counting the Days
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12
Gravity
Published
One of my favorite voices in music, Bic Runga, came into her own as a songwriter with Beautiful Collsion. The consistency of this album is astounding, perhaps only one or two of the tracks not being quite addictive enough to assume control over my tongue as I listen. Combine delicate lyrics with sweeping melodies and a perfect voice and you have a very easily enjoyed piece of music.
Published
Bic Runga is the highest selling female artist in NZ ever, her first two albums have sold a combined total of 270,000 copies in New Zealand alone. This is her 11x platinum sophomore effort, it far eclipses her debut. Here, she is far more mature and her songwriting has developed hugely. Every song is injected with enough emotion to power the whole of the current emo generation (Bic is by no means emo). Her melodic rock sound is lent a helping hand by her production on the album, which is very accomplished. This album shows a real talent, great songwriter, superb singer and amazing producer.
Published
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Catalog
8 Jul 2023
22 Jun 2023
21 Jun 2023
5 Jun 2023
18 May 2023
29 Apr 2023
8 Apr 2023
7 Mar 2023
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1
When I See You Smile
-
2
Get Some Sleep
-
3
Something Good
-
4
Precious Things
-
5
The Be All and End All
-
6
Election Night
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7
Honest Goodbyes
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8
She Left on a Monday
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9
Beautiful Collision
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10
Listening for the Weather
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11
Counting the Days
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12
Gravity
5 Mar 2023
20 Feb 2023
13 Feb 2023
6 Feb 2023
7 Jan 2023
26 Dec 2022
23 Dec 2022
| . | . | . | . | . | . | . |
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29 Lists
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Note: Unlike reviews, comments are considered temporary and may be deleted/purged without notice.the 3 singles are fantastic, the production is immaculate and it's not trying too hard to be anything else than what it is; good music.