Mon May 10 2021
5
I don't know what's with this album but I absolutley loved it. Also, in some parts the vocals reminded me of Thom Yorke from Radiohead, am I the only one?
This is a Random Album Generator.
One album a day.
From the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.
Want Two
Rufus Wainwright
2004
- Album Summary
Want Two is the fourth album by American-Canadian singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright. The album was released on November 16, 2004. Four of the tracks on this album were released in the summer of 2004 as the EP Waiting for a Want on the iTunes music store. Want Two is, according to Wainwright, the darker sibling of 2003's Want One – its subject matter concerned with "the world we live in" (RW Geffen Bio) after Want One's focus on the intensely personal. The artist's song selections here show his range to be broad, veering from romantic ballad ("Peach Trees") to tragic ballad ("This Love Affair"), sophisticated pop ("The One You Love") to third person/first person narrative lament ("The Art Teacher"), personal tongue in cheek manifesto ("Gay Messiah"), to a classical pop hybrid written about Jeff Buckley ("Memphis Skyline") and songs beyond category. "Agnus Dei" is used in the trailer for the 2007 film Trade. Mother Kate McGarrigle and aunt Anna (McGarrigle) both perform and sing on "Hometown Waltz". Anohni of 2005 Mercury Prize winners Antony and the Johnsons sings lead vocal alongside Wainwright on "Old Whore's Diet". The initial UK version of the record contains bonus live tracks, "Coeur de Parisienne – Reprise d'Arletty" and "Quand vous mourrez de nos amours" (written by French Canadian songwriter Gilles Vigneault).
Reviews
Like a review? Give it a thumb up to help us display relevant reviews!
Sort by:
Top
Date
Mon Aug 16 2021
1
The guy can sing. But not as much as he can whine.
Wed Jun 09 2021
4
I can't tell if I liked it or was annoyed by his miserable voice but I think it was good
Thu Dec 16 2021
4
If you can get past the truly awful opening track, ‘Want Two’ markedly improves. It’s a ballsy record, very theatrical and stylistically broad in sound, with folk, pop/chanson, baroque, indie and show music styles among its repertoire. It’s probably overproduced, but it’s all these elements, (and the gay subtext also present) that make it interesting. ‘Want Two’ is the proverbial Forrest Gump box of chocolates: you never quite know what you’re going to get, but there’s a little something for everyone. Surprised how much I ended up liking this one.
Mon Dec 06 2021
2
He 'Want Two' and I'm going to give him a 2. Most of this album is just whinging. The second song is great though.
Wed Jun 30 2021
5
One of the prettiest albums I’ve heard in my time. This is what it looks like when an artist has an artistic vision, and takes the utmost care to craft what was in their mind into something they can share with the world.
Mon Mar 07 2022
5
There is something timeless about everything Rufus does and this album is no exception. His theatricality matches perfectly with the quality of his voice. The first song is the perfect way to enter this album and sets the stage for an emotional experience.
Wed Jun 29 2022
5
I don't usually give fives to more recent albums, but this album was enthrallingly good. Musically it has a bit of an old world sensibility with artful, gorgeous arrangements. Rufus Wainwright's vocals are splendid, a bit torchy, but in the best way. With a voice suited for both pop and theatre, there's a pathos in his voice and his lyrics that feels really personal and honest. What a pleasure to listen to. Fave Songs (All songs, from most to least favorite): Peach Trees, The Art Teacher, The One You Love, Memphis Skyline, This Love Affair, Hometown Waltz, Old Whore's Diet, Gay Messiah, Little Sister, Agnus Dei, Crumb by Crumb, Waiting for a Dream
Thu Sep 01 2022
5
I have never listened to a whole Rufus Wainwright album before, just the odd track. I’ve always liked his voice. But, for me, this is a masterpiece. The range of music on this cd is astounding. As is the quality of his lyrics. As a one-time altar boy myself, I was knocked out by the opening track, Agnus Dei, and every track that followed was a winner. I loved The Art Teacher, which made me recall Meg Christian’s Ode To A Gym Teacher; Gay Messiah, which brought to mind his father’s Talking the New Bob Dylan; and Memphis (not Nashville)Skyline, his heartfelt tribute to Jeff Buckley, is outstanding - Then came hallelujah sounding like Ophelia - referencing a Cohen song they both covered. He surrounded himself with such talent - a lot of family, the great Van Dyke Parks’ string arrangements, Levon Helm drumming on The One You Love. The album is so full of surprises. I loved it.
Fri Jan 06 2023
5
Cool album, talented artist, lots of influence from various genres
Mon May 01 2023
5
Wonderful and unexpected. Not an artist I had much knowledge of before, but one I will seek out in future! I can hear echoes of Radiohead and Jeff Buckley, and many others before and since - but he is still entirely his own creation. Brilliant
Wed Mar 17 2021
4
3/16 One of those albums where almost every song is a different genre, really well crafted, great album. Standout Tracks: Agnus Dei, The One You Love, The Art Teacher, Memphis Skyline, Old Whore’s Diet
Thu Jan 21 2021
4
This was really chill and I needed it this morning. I just want to say thank you to the creators of this website. This shit is dope.
Thu Mar 11 2021
4
If I had to come up with a list of 5 singers, knowing that when I woke up the next morning I would be able to magically sing like one of them, I feel pretty certain Rufus would make the cut. Just to be able to belt out shit like that in my car would make me so satisfied in life. Anywho, I’m more of a Want One guy, but this is definitely the more dramatic of the two and I enjoyed the most of it. No I won’t be the one, baptized in cum.” How did he make that sound pretty?! How???
Wed Sep 21 2022
4
Slaps, not gonna lie. I really liked all the variety on this, even if some songs (like that first one) fell kind of flat. Thank you, gay Thom Yorke.
Wed Jun 09 2021
3
I've probably described albums as "theatrical" but this album feels like a better example than most. The storytelling with lush orchestral arrangements really does make this feel ready for the stage. I enjoyed it, but don't know if I'll listen again. Favorite tracks: "The Art Teacher", "Crumb by Crumb"
Sat Apr 10 2021
2
My perception of Rufus Wainwright is tainted by my association of his music with an ex girlfriend. Regardless of that, it is still not my cup of tea. Couldn't listen to the whole thing in one go.
Mon Aug 21 2023
2
Halfway through and I Want Two turn this off.
Fri Aug 11 2023
1
This is the worst Radiohead album ever.
Wed Jun 30 2021
5
Beautifully cinematic pop record with an orchestral flair that suits the songwriting. I am honestly surprised I have never even heard the name, because wow this sound suits me.
Sat Mar 27 2021
5
Very cool playlist! Some songs really sound like they're from a play - love it!
Mon Apr 12 2021
5
Muse father lol
Fri May 21 2021
5
I like it
Fri Oct 01 2021
5
Потрясно!
Wed Nov 24 2021
5
Понравилось, но очень сладко
Thu Dec 02 2021
5
unexpected gem. I liked the sound. Reminded me of Kevin Max.
Wed Jan 26 2022
5
Love, love, loved. Never knew!
Thu Mar 03 2022
5
Cool album. Voice sort of reminds me of Thom Yorke. Piano. The art teacher
Mon Mar 07 2022
5
It was great to return to this album! What drama and emotion!
Sun Apr 10 2022
5
He sure can write crazy good songs. "Agnus Dei" has some lovely instrumentation which I've really missed on this list, and it sets the vibe from the start. Ok finally something that makes me feel anything. Probably deserves a 4 for the second half, but I love the cover too. This is beautiful. "Going To A Town" is one of my all time favorite songs. It's not on this album though, and the album it is on kinda sucks. I don't know why I had to say that. 5
Fri Apr 22 2022
5
super into this
Thu Jun 30 2022
5
My type of music
Fri Jul 01 2022
5
Louche and charming album
Thu Jul 28 2022
5
Top ten
Fri Jul 29 2022
5
This Rufus album is a full send - takes out all the stops.
Sun Jul 31 2022
5
holy SHIT! fuckin A! 10/10, man this is far out!
Thu Aug 25 2022
5
Lögin eru vissulega misgóð, og stundum sakna ég þess að heyra ekki menntaðri rödd, sérstaklega í upphafslaginu Agnus Dei, en það er sem er gott er alveg frábært. Flottur og innilegur söngur, óvænt twist, æðislegar útsetningar, fjör og angurværð á víxl. Mæli heilshugar með.
Thu Oct 27 2022
5
Amazing voice, honest and unique stories in his lyrics, captures you like a moment in time.
Wed Dec 14 2022
5
Beautiful
Thu Mar 23 2023
5
I loved this. Listened twice. Favorites were The One You Love and Old Whores Diet. The Art Teacher is so fucking interesting. And funny? And sad?
Thu Mar 23 2023
5
What an incredible opening for an album. Peach trees is amazing, so many cool layers. The piano is so cool, and the beachy slide guitars. The songwriting and harmony on this record are incredible. So haunting and beautiful.
Thu Mar 23 2023
5
Great songwriting. I love his voice. Favorite songs are Memphis Skyline and Art Teacher. Pretty cool that Levon Helm played on one of the tunes.
Mon May 01 2023
5
I only knew him for Hallelujah, so I didn't expect to love this album so much. It's pretty low energy for most of the album, but it still manages to entertain me. It was one of those albums where I could lay on my bed, close my eyes, put it on and enjoy. I was entranced by the first song, and that feeling remained throughout the album. Memphis Skyline is a rather sweet song lyrically. Similarly, many songs on this album stood out because of their subject matter. It's hard to pick favourites, but I believe my favourite songs were This Love Affair, Angus Dei, and Memphis Skyline.
Thu May 25 2023
5
loved it
Sat Jun 24 2023
5
Stunning. Floored me on the first listen. Arty, inventive, quirky, but musical as fuck. Legendary.
Thu Sep 07 2023
5
Absolutely beautiful, lush and chill pop. A few of the slower songs were a bit too similar and long for my taste, but overall this was a gorgeous album. I’d give it 9/10 but since it’s a 5 point scale I’m going with full marks.
Wed Nov 25 2020
4
Really enjoyed this album.
Tue Apr 20 2021
4
2004: The One You Love, The Art Teacher, Gay Messiah
Fri Oct 23 2020
4
4 and 1/2 but that’s not an option
Mon Feb 01 2021
4
that was pleasant! no experience prior. (also i wanna look like the album cover person pls)
Fri Apr 16 2021
4
Enjoyable!
Thu Feb 11 2021
4
Good album, there's a classic vibe to it, I'm not sure how to describe it. I digg it - I can see me listening to this record while cleaning the house or cooking.
Mon May 03 2021
4
I get the artistry but you have to be in the mood to listen and appreciate.
Thu Jul 08 2021
4
Really unique, mournful, poetic, cool. I liked this more than expected.
Mon Apr 12 2021
4
Levy jota kuuntelin varmaan lähemmäs kymmeneen kertaan, enkä oikein vieläkään tiedä mitä tästä ajattelen. Rufus Wainwright toki artistina on tuttu, mutta tämä on jäänyt kuuntelematta. Ehkä jonkinlainen linjattomuus häiritsee levyssä, vaikka yleisfiilis on todella positiivinen. Parhaimmillaan vitosen arvoista mahtavuutta, heikoimmillaan kolmosen arvoisia tylähköjä rallatuksia. Nelonen lienee oikeutettu arvosana.
Mon Jul 12 2021
4
Very good, although I feel like somebody tried to engineer the living defi option of "too clever by half"
Fri Apr 23 2021
4
This was nice. His voice grates after a full album but this was well put together.
Thu Jul 15 2021
4
i keep hoping he'll cover dead skunk. that would be hilarious. i've always loved the art teacher - it's so raw, which is such a contrast to the rest of this album.
Thu Jun 17 2021
4
Impressive vocals, clean production, and interesting instrumentals made for a surprisingly enjoyable album. It was long and had some slow burns but overall quite good. 8
Sun Jun 20 2021
4
Art pop at its most magnificent. You have to listen carefully to let yourself go with the intricate melodies and arrangements but it's worth it. The One You Love is simply one of best 00's singles
Wed Feb 10 2021
4
Interesting and inventive—incorporates a lot of classical music/operatic themes throughout which was cool to hear. Storytelling songs sometimes didn’t work but some did. Especially liked the one you love and waiting for a dream
Sun Jun 20 2021
4
Legend. The art teacher is one of the best songs ever
Mon Apr 12 2021
4
Miellyttävää musaa. Loppua kohden kävi ehkä vähän yksitoikkoiseksi, mutta eipä tuo haittaa. Kiva kun löytyy näitä iloisesti yllättäviä uusia tuttavuuksia.
Fri Apr 30 2021
4
genre-bending thrift store kinda album. pretty cool!
Tue Jan 26 2021
4
psyché et en francais
Mon Feb 15 2021
4
Cool! I enjoyed it... not that sure at first, but I will probably listen the whole album again!
Thu Feb 11 2021
4
Best tracks: Agnus Dei, Little Sister
Thu Mar 04 2021
4
Weird....but in a good way!
Mon Mar 29 2021
4
This guy sounds like U2. Opening track is neat.
Mon Mar 29 2021
4
Generally a good album. I enjoyed especially the first track.
Mon May 03 2021
4
The vocals are so amazing. Great atmosphere and vibe too. Definitely need to relisten.
Sun May 09 2021
4
Good but not my vibe
Wed Jun 16 2021
4
Rufus has always been one of those "artsy" pop artists for me. I have liked some of his stuff though (Moulin Rouge). Glad to finally give him a proper listen. Thoroughly enjoyed this interesting album. Very pleasant throughout.
Thu Aug 05 2021
4
Not bothered by the French chansons but the other tracks are beautiful
Wed Aug 18 2021
4
Kinda like if Thom Yorke made a solo album during The Bends era, though I’m not sure he would’ve ever made anything this lush and orchestrated.
Wed Aug 18 2021
4
Not what I was expecting at all, but I was surprised to find I really liked this. Ended up listening to it twice in a row.
Tue Aug 24 2021
4
Not my usual album and not one I’d go back to on a regular basis but this guy is a modern day talent. Knew only the name but expected something totally different. Getting vibes of Matt Bellamy and Thom Yorke.
Wed Sep 22 2021
4
Fav songs: - The One You Love - This Love Affair - Waiting For A Dream
Sun Oct 03 2021
4
Really enjoyed on second listen. Interesting sound with classical strings and orchestra over modern lyrics. Creative verses with introspective reflections delivered by strong vocals (also grew on me on second listen). Broad variety of styles throughout. Agnus Dei, the art teacher, this love affair, crumb by crumb, old whores diet
Fri Oct 15 2021
4
There's a lot going on here, much of which is a little strange. The regency music of Little Sister is perhaps the most unusual amongst a lot of different styles. Musical theatre vocals, asian instrumentation, orchestral and choral elements run throughout and hold the album together. Overall, an interesting album, which is tender, epic and funny in places. The more I listened, the more I liked it. 4/5.
Fri Oct 29 2021
4
Always wanted to delve into Rufus Wainwright (who I always call "Adam" in my head. Baseball.) and my immediate reaction here is that the first song should be the album closer :D - it's a challenging intro, leading off with "Agnus Dei" - this being my idea of Thom Yorke given the assignment of leading a cathedral congregation in a Latin dirge for 5 minutes. It's not *not* impressive - just ... well, listen to it. Once the album gets started properly with "The One You Love" the Thom Yorke comparison really holds for me; the voice and manner of laconic singing. But there's a lot going on here - a few odd chord turns that really make me sit up and take notice. "Little Sister" and "The Art Teacher" are the early standouts for me on this album - one a complex layered orchestration and the next mostly just vocals and piano (with a subtle/tasteful horn part) - the latter feels like it could have fit comfortably on Elton John's self-titled 1970 album. That said, this album is probably not gonna be for everyone and is a little tough in spots but the music for me is really intriguing - complex, lush, very very melodic. It's not easily digestible. I like that. Dammit I feel like I give everything a 3 - because of the density of this one, I think it's hard to get a real feel for the album with 1 or 2 spins. But the talent, diversity, and thought that clearly went into this recording for me make me push this to 4 - I feel like I'm anticipating eventually liking this album more than I already do right now :) 8/10 4 stars
Thu Nov 18 2021
4
finaste rufus! även om jag föredrar hans andra skivor
Thu Nov 18 2021
4
Wow!! Första gången jag lyssnar på Rufus Wainwright men kommer inte vara sista. Extremt imponerad av tonspråket, variationen, texterna, arrangemangen, allt! Jag personligen hade kunnat leva med en eller två låtar med lite högre tempo, och hans släpiga sätt att sjunga är inte helt min favvo, men då letar jag ursäkter att inte dela ut en femma. Superplatta!
Thu Nov 25 2021
4
did not expect to like it that much but that was a pleasant surprise!
Fri Nov 26 2021
4
grew on me. interesting vocals. Art Teacher, Old Whore's Diet
Mon Dec 06 2021
4
Gute Musik für ganz besondere Stimmungen. Etwas the verve viel muse
Fri Dec 10 2021
4
Geggjuð plata, fyrir utan fiðluskratsjið á fyrstu sekúndunum!
Fri Dec 24 2021
4
Glorious, elegant, flaming singer songwriting from Rufus Wainwright. Some really absorbing tracks with a stylistic strings and drum machine flavour. Normally strings are added to hide the shortcomings of the singer or the singing but not so here - the vocals and music together to make a chamber pop classic.
Fri Dec 24 2021
4
Loved it. Odd start moves on to something extraordinary. Has never listened to his music before - certainly glad to have been introduced to it.
Wed Jan 05 2022
4
What an opening track! Some pretty great storytelling too. Will listen to more stuff.
Wed Jan 12 2022
4
Ugh do I like Rufus Wainwright?
Mon Feb 07 2022
4
This is a mostly low tempo album with an excessive number of ballads. It's not overly repetetive, but I have heard better melodies from Rufus Wrainwright. Still a nice listen, but without standouts. 3.5/5
Thu Feb 24 2022
4
Before this listen, I knew him as the guy who sang "Hallelujah" on the Shrek soundtrack. I gotta say, I'm impressed. I feel like he's probably a bit polarizing, but I enjoyed what I heard. Sometimes it dragged, but for the most part it tugged at my heart strings. The opening track is probably my favorite.
Fri Mar 18 2022
4
3.5, Art Teacher deserves a 5
Fri Mar 18 2022
4
Kinda goated not gonna lie.
Thu Mar 24 2022
4
Excellent. But it is an interesting vibe
Fri Mar 25 2022
4
first listen a wonderful journey
Fri Apr 22 2022
4
Good vibes. Made me rethink discordance
Thu Apr 28 2022
4
Very enjoyable.
Thu May 12 2022
4
A beautiful album, lush and sweeping.