Reviews (page 3 of 8)
-this record is not for me, but shout out to all the yearning twink English majors out there. -he really puts the baroque in baroque pop, powdered wigs and all. -there's an irritating affectation you can hear on some songs (most audibly on "The Art Teacher") where he inhales through his teeth. it drove me nuts. -RW reminds me of working at the local public library when I was in high school. The library ladies loved RW. It's definitely librarian music.
++: Agnus Dei, Peach Trees, Gay Messiah, Crumb by Crumb +: The One You Love, Hometown Waltz, Memphis Skyline, Old Whore's Diet +-: The Art Teacher, This Love Affair, Waiting for a Dream -: Little Sister 5,8/10
how could anyone hate it
That's more like it. Knew absolutely zero about this going in, never heard of the artist before. The first two tracks were totally unexpected. Sometimes the classical thing gets a bit overbearing and gives me kind of a musical theatre feeling that I don't like ("little sister"). Very melodramatic but I enjoyed that in a gay way. Felt like actually discovering something new, which I haven't experienced much of on this list so far.
He's got an amazing voice. I just think the songs are a bit too low key for me.
Whether you like it or not, this is an ALBUM. Its got a mystic opener that sets up the soft jazz pop with a strange violin arrangement that quickly swells in a swooning orchestra. The album is actually paced perfectly with cohesive themes while taking lots of vocal inspiration from singers like Thom Yorke. And then it ends with a cinematic closer to tie it all in. The songwriting is just outstanding, with the progressions and different instruments keeping it engaging. Some songs seem to feel bare and focus on just the vocals, but I appreciate the variety. The immersion of the 'show' theming makes the album feel so connected and a bigger piece of work outside each individual song. The lyrics are pure art as well. What a great album.
I enjoyed his other album on here more. His song from Meet the Robinsons is one of my favorites. This one however I couldn’t get into. There was one song I liked and I never actively hate baroque pop but forgettable for the most part. Rating: 1.5
I really really loved this album. The vocals remind me of Radiohead a bit, but the instrumental is beautiful and gorgeous and really really soul touching, yknow? I really really enjoyed this album. Especially the first song on the album. So good.
5/10
Ok so we got another one for the books of "really frickin good but idk if I'm going to add any of these songs to a playlist" Like insane quality, great writing, musicality is THERE. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this album, would rec to give it a try. just I don't think i'll listen to any of these songs ever again. The only song I outright didnt like was Old Whore's diet The One You Love Little Sister (Sounds like some English castle royalty music but isn't cheesy?!) Hometown Waltz Crumb by Crumb (GG!!!)
On avait laissé Rufus Wainwright en 2003, perché sur son canasson en armure de chevalier pour Want One. C’était un disque qui m’avait laissé un peu sur ma faim. Un truc poli, limite agaçant par moments, bref, un petit 3 sur 5 qui ne cassait pas trois pattes à un canard. Mais voilà qu'un an plus tard, en 2004, le prodige revient avec le jumeau maléfique, le versant sombre, le bien nommé Want Two. Vendre cet album comme une version "sombre" de son prédécesseur, c'est à la fois vrai et un peu trompeur. Car le sombre selon Wainwright, c’est du velours noir froissé, des chandeliers qui pleurent de la cire sur des tapis persans et des drames d’opéra joués à huis clos après que les spectateurs sont partis. C’est baroque, c’est chargé, c’est boursouflé à en crever, mais contrairement à l'opus précédent, ici, l'excès sert un propos. On n'est plus dans la démonstration de force technique, on est plutôt dans une sorte d'exorcisme lyrique qui demande une sacrée dose de courage. Et il faut avoir une confiance absolue en son talent pour oser sortir un disque aussi peu en phase avec son époque. L’ouverture du disque est d’ailleurs un immense majeur levé à la face du monde radiophonique. "Agnus Dei" et six minutes de liturgie latine. Qui fait ça en 2004 ? Personne, à part un mec qui n’en a strictement rien à foutre de plaire au plus grand nombre. C’est solennel, c’est imposant, c’est presque étouffant de religiosité détournée. C’est le genre de morceau qui te pose un décor de cathédrale avant même que tu aies eu le temps de te servir un verre. On sent que Rufus s'amuse avec les codes du sacré pour mieux introduire son propre univers, un monde où la spiritualité et la chair se mélangent dans une étreinte permanente. C’est pompeux ? Oui, bien sûr. C’est prétentieux ? Sans doute. Mais c’est d’une beauté tellement insolente qu'on finit par fermer sa gueule et écouter la suite avec un respect qu’on n’avait pas forcément prévu d'accorder au départ. Et la suite, c’est un grand huit émotionnel où on passe de la pop sophistiquée de "The One You Love" à des moments de grâce absolue qui vous cueillent sans prévenir. Je pense évidemment à "The Art Teacher" qui est sans doute l'un des plus beaux morceaux de sa carrière, et aussi l’un des plus simples. Juste un piano et cette voix. Cette voix nasillarde, traînante, presque insupportable par moments, mais qui ici devient un instrument de précision chirurgicale. L’histoire de ce coup de foudre d’adolescente pour un prof d’art au Metropolitan Museum est racontée avec une économie de moyens qui tranche radicalement avec le reste de l’album. C’est là qu’on voit le génie du bonhomme : il est capable de te briser le cœur en trois accords et une mélodie qui semble avoir toujours existé. C’est pur, c’est triste, c’est du grand art, point barre. On est loin de l'armure de chevalier, on est dans la confession nue. Puis il y a la provocation, la vraie, celle qui fait grincer des dents les bien-pensants. "Gay Messiah" qui, sous ses airs de ballade presque folk, est un texte d’une irrévérence totale. Parler de baptême dans le sperme et de messie queer avec une telle douceur mélodique, c’est du pur génie subversif. C’est drôle, c’est acide, et ça apporte une respiration nécessaire au milieu de toute cette opulence orchestrale. Rufus n’est pas là pour être une icône propre sur elle, il est là pour foutre le bordel dans les consciences avec un sourire en coin et un verre de Chardonnay à la main. C’est cette dualité entre la haute culture classique et la réalité crue de ses désirs qui rend Want Two infiniment plus intéressant que son prédécesseur. Il ne joue plus au prince charmant, il nous montre ses cicatrices et ses obsessions les plus inavouables. On ne peut pas parler de cet album sans évoquer "Memphis Skyline". Hommage vibrant à Jeff Buckley, et peut-être l’un des moments les plus poignants du disque. On sent la filiation, le respect pour l’ange noyé, mais aussi la douleur de celui qui reste. La progression harmonique est majestueuse, on frôle le sublime sans jamais tomber dans le pathétique de bas étage. Rufus réussit le tour de force de rendre hommage à une légende sans se faire écraser par son ombre. C’est une chanson qui justifie à elle seule la place de l’album dans la liste de Dimery. On est dans la grande tradition des songwriters qui transforment le deuil en or massif, et Rufus s’en sort avec les honneurs. L’album s’étire, explore des recoins sombres, flirte avec l’expérimental sur la fin avec "Old Whore’s Diet", ce long trip de neuf minutes avec Anohni (qu’on appelait encore Antony à l’époque). C’est une conclusion étrange, hypnotique, presque dérangeante. On a l’impression d’assister à une procession de fin de fête, quand les masques tombent et que la réalité devient un peu floue. C’est long, oui, peut-être trop pour certains, mais c’est cohérent avec cette volonté de ne rien retenir. Rufus nous livre tout, le génie comme les errances, la lumière comme la fange. C’est ce qui fait la force de ce disque : il est vivant, il palpite, il est imparfait dans sa démesure même. On sort de là un peu rincé, avec l’impression d’avoir traversé un opéra de poche qui aurait duré toute une nuit. Au final, si Want One était une promesse un peu timide, Want Two est la réalisation éclatante d'un artiste qui a enfin trouvé son équilibre sur son fil de fer. C'est un 4 sur 5 qui ne se discute même pas. C’est un album courageux, riche, qui demande qu’on s’y investisse, qu’on accepte de se perdre dans ses arrangements touffus et ses envolées lyriques. Rufus Wainwright est un anachronisme vivant, un dandy égaré dans le XXIe siècle qui nous rappelle que la musique peut encore être une forme de folie furieuse et magnifique.
On my first listen I didn't really enjoy, but after listening to it a second time I thoroughly enjoyed. Will definitely be listening to more Rufus Wainwright!
I already got this album again and couldn’t bare to give it another listen. Here is my review from last year: This is 2003 Benson Boone. In fact, it feels like Benson Boone, if he listened to Radiohead and was just generally more sad. That being said, I really loved the opening track. And it kind of picked up again for me about midway through. Most of this record was kind of meh for me, I don’t love tortured male centered anthemic pop. But at the exact same time, some of the sad tortured songs were pretty good. Maybe that’s why I despise indie pop, it tricks me. I go from hating 5 songs to suddenly feeling all the things in next. Tasting Notes: Elvis Costello, Andrew Bird, Radiohead, fun.
Sometimes you just gotta give people what they want ... in this case a two
I don't listen to Wainwright much, but after listening to this album, I need to listen more often. I wasn't familiar with the album at all, but really enjoyed it. Not a bad song on the album in my opinion and I love his voice. Definitely one that I'm glad popped up to make me give it a listen.
2,6/5
Sadly the more songs I listened to the more it moved down from 3 to a 2. Serves him right for being called Rufus really.
Want None
I didn't even Want One in the first place, why would I Want Two? No, seriously, I should enjoy this much more than I did. Nothing bad, but nothing memorable either. It's like Radiohead, but without the spark.
This album is full of very rich arrangements and harmonies, I can't doubt it, it's great! That said, I just can't hook with Rufus Wainwright music. I'll give it a 3.
Overall, it’s a good album. Very melodic, very emotional, and there’s a kind of sadness running through it from the very beginning. Right away, it feels like there’s a strong influence from Jeff Buckley, almost like that same dramatic, expressive approach to vocals and songwriting. But at the same time, it never quite reaches the level of something like Grace. As the album goes on, it starts to feel a bit heavy. The sound and structure become repetitive, and by the last few tracks it gets a little strange and tiring, like it’s doing too much without enough variation. There’s a lot of intensity packed into it, which at first is interesting, but over time it can feel overwhelming. Still, there are some really beautiful moments, and you can tell there’s a lot of emotion behind it.
Two lice albums in a row. 4/10
Boo! Hiss! All the worst of Thom Yorke's tones over the most vapid, simple music. I had to listen to it in small chunks, maybe 2-3 songs at a time before my shit-meter went wild and made me go listen to something to reset. How has this fella garnered fans? It's a 1 for two reasons. One; It's produced well, perhaps too slickly, but obviously not recorded in a garage. And two, we can't give a 0 here!
Nicht meins
Always a fun ride. Strange? Yes. But so easy to listen to…
Overall, not my tempo. It's somehow dull and overstimulating at the same time. Most confusing thing I've heard so far. I definitely feel certain ways about it but lord help me if I know what those are. I'd rank it pretty high for creativity and the interesting juxtaposition between the lyrics and the music, but I enjoyed the relief of the silence that followed the last track a bit too much. I didn't even realize I was in pain. Ope.
Why? The second song on this album shows a little bit of life but it’s also in contrast to the rest of the album which is a lifeless, anti-melodic drone. This Love Affair proves that this guy can’t sing, flat and dull.
I like easy listening, but this is too sleepy for me. Favorite track: Waiting For a Dream.
I don’t like his voice and his singing style.
Self-important and pompous yet cringeworthyly amateurish sounding circus shit. Having to suffer through him whinily declaiming his ill-fitting lyrics makes me newly appreciate how well-crafted chart pop music actually is. Edit: And it speaks to his narcissism to have his voice mixed so loud when he can't sing for shit.
Much better than I though!
it's good but completely forgettable
6.5 / 10
Interesting Harmony's! Very classically influenced. Still not a fan, wouldn't seem this out
I wasn't expecting this to hit me so hard, but it did. Thoroughly enjoyable. Maybe it hits the exact sadboy energy I was feeling as I listened.
2.5 - the songs were good but his voice ruined many of them
Calming but a little samey. As much as I think the instrumentals to be quite well done, some of the text choices sour the album for me. Best songs are Little Sister and Old Whore's Diet. 6/10, a bit too slow for my taste.
I found Want One very irritating. This was more interesting. I still don't like his vocal stylings and i find most of it pretentious guff. However there were some nice bits but overall not for me.
The Thom Yorke comparisons are funny. I've liked a couple of his tunes, one a cover, but nothing on this album was any good. Agree with comments that it comes across a bit pretentious.
A sensitive and orchestral album that creates dramatic moments. The final song with Antony was a surprise and highlight for me.
Want Two is the moodier and melancholic sibling of the more upbeat and showtunesy Want One. I personally prefer Want One but my favorite song by Wainwright is on Want Two (The Art Teacher), but that's my point. You're never going to go wrong because everything he's released is worth your time.
Meh
6.5/10
I wanted to (no pun intended) like this album and I just didn't. If you're looking for joyful/somber pairings, One might make the case that perhaps Ani DiFranco's Reveling/Reckoning double album release would be a better example of such an effort than Want One/Two -- and I don't listen to that pairing very often, either. But I really didn't enjoy Two that much. The album starts off without much continuity. It finally begins to settle with "Art Teacher" but there were foibles in Wainright's voice on this song that started to annoy me. Being a Jeff Buckley fan, I had high hopes for "Memphis Skyline" but also felt underwhelmed. The album feels a bit grandiose, and not being too familiar with Wainright, I don't know if this is typical of his style but it was too much for me to really enjoy.
Thing's not to say on a first date, no.4: "I'm really into the music of Rufus Wainwright" I'm sure the Pitchfork luvvies are all over this, but it's not for me. Heard before ❌️ Listened this time ✅️ Some Revisit ❌️ ★★☆☆☆ (4/10) Total reviewed : 257 Already owned : 59 Purchased : 15 To buy list : 1 Nope : 182
This does sound like radiohead/thom yorke! With possibly the music bombasticness of Muse during The Resistance. Because this is so reminiscent of two bands I love, I don't hate this, but it's maybe a little slow for me. His singing is a bit pretentious and wore me out. 3*
This album is a beautiful, sweet work of art. It has a very nice baroque sound, sometimes so ethereal that it feels like a lullaby. Rufus has some pretty nice moments in this album. It's true that there are a few songs that are a bit weak, but every single track contributes to the overall aspect of the album, building a great musical experience. Rufus Wainwright, who is very interested in classical music and folk, but also has a very pop sound, is really brilliant in this record. I've enjoyed a lot listening to this album, specially as it is one of his first albums, which I hadn't listened to before. There are a lot of different sounds and influences here, but also so much layers. It's great, an excellent album.
Quite surprised with this one. I liked the instrumentals quite a bit. The songwriting was also quite impressive. Favourite Track(s): The Art Teacher Least Favourite Track(s): Old Whore's Diet
Dirge
For some reason I had the idea that Rufus Wainwright was a camp showtunes kind of musician, but this album wasn't like that at all. It took a couple of listens, as I wasn't sure what I felt the first time around, but I grew to enjoy this quite a bit.
Incredible and operatic; this album exemplifies power and emotionality. With a mixture of stylings and instruments, it takes you on a journey from place to place, feeling to feeling. Hopeful and crushing, joyous and forlorn, you feel every step that he takes through the ups and downs of life and love. His use of minor chords is especially noteworthy to me. He’s not just a singer/songwriter: he’s a composer and conductor leading the orchestra. Each piece showcases his vocal talent, but the musical accompaniment would tell the story even if he weren’t singing. The variance song to song works well and keeps the album fresh without being jarring. Nothing about it is monotonous or even really easily guessed. Piano concerto into acoustic guitar into full orchestra. Simply superb pacing!
About 10% less pretentious then Want One
An impressive album for sure, I love how big and ambitions this album feels.. I don't think is on my taste to listen to it again 3/5
It's interesting that one of the songs here is a tribute to Jeff Buckley, because it does feel like Rufus Wainwright may have (inadvertently) slotted into a gap left by Buckley's death. Angus Dei was the track that most made me wish I was listening to Buckley instead (as has been pointed out, Wainwright's voice sounds more like Thom Yorke), but I liked a lot of this.
Admittedly my wifi cut out and I didn't hear the last song on the album, but I was really impressed by this album. There was something very Thom Yorke-esque about his voice, but I might be making this up. It was just really interesting, I was really invested in the whole thing. Favorites: Agnus Dei, Peach Trees, Waiting for a Dream
Bueno
I want one more then two actually
No private session used for Spotify. I don't care for Rufus's voice and Dear Lord, is it featured heavily on this album. The music seemed pleasant, maybe if should be redone with someone who doesn't sound if they are falling asleep while they whines..err sings.
Such a solid album. Loved the vocals with classical backing. Deserves repeated listens.
7/10
I’ve owned this album for years but hadn’t listened to anything but The Art Teacher for a long time. Love the concept, and the only album on the list that uses the line “baptized in cum.”
I did like it, a very soothing, calming album, beautiful voice, lovely piano. Listened to it twice. Loved the duet with Antony, too.
Rufus Wainwright is a type of artist you instantly recognize if you know him. I think sometimes he sounds really wonderful, and sometimes he’s just too much. I have seen him live once, and I have one of his other albums, Release The Stars, that I think is a pretty good album. This album I never really connected to. I enjoyed one song, and the rest was just okay. Favourite song: The One You Love
Started off nice but too winey
Not what I was expecting. He sounds like Thom Yorke. Like if Radiohead weren't experimental at all.
Want two more albums
Absolute garbage. Unlistenable moany dreck. I Want Zero.
What if Radiohead started before electronic music was invented... I really like this. Very novel combination of his voice with the instruments.
Es loco no estoy segura de si me gustó
Un disco que muy bien podría haberlo firmado Radiohead
I don’t know if this is the only Rufus album on the list, but if so, I think Poses is far more deserving. Having not listened to Want One or Two before, I decided to listen to both, and also preferred Want One. So, I’m not sure why they chose the most boring of his albums to represent him. A lot of people here think he sounds like Thom Yorke, and I can see that more on his other albums than this one too! I will say, I’d never noticed the similarity until now, and now I can’t unhear it.
1: Hometown Waltz 2: Old Whore’s Diet 3: Gay Messiah
A beautifully haunting voice. Better in French
Solid singer-songwriter stuff from an absolute gayboss - supplemented by the generous strings, Rufus' voice really carries these tunes.
I have no idea how to rate this. A voice that was a mix of Muse’s Matt Bellamy and Radiohead’s Thom Yorke, which definitely overshadowed anything else that was going on. Could’ve worked better with different instruments going on, but for the most part it was fine. 2.5 rounded up
I find the Victorian influence here pretty interesting but it sounds underbaked, with the instrumentation only really shining on a few standout tracks. Rufus' voice is doing the heavy lifting for most of the runtime, and while I do find it beautiful, it can't quite manage to carry the 53 minutes with minimal supporting arrangements. I happened to stumble onto a more recent performance of his, "I'm A Stranger Here Myself", and the difference is night and day! The Pacific Jazz Orchestra there complements his voice so much better than anything on Want Two, and ironically makes it shine all the more by making it less of a centered focus. Coming back to this project afterwards for a second listen, I still don't think the Thom Yorke thing he's doing works all that well, but knowing that Rufus can actually sound heavenly in the right context does make me appreciate the experimentation and the personality found here a bit more. Standouts: The One You Love • Hometown Waltz • Gay Messiah • Old Whore's Diet
I only knew Rufus Wainwright as the guy who did the silly cover of Hallelujah in Shrek but I was blown away by his vocal talent here. I usually run screaming the other way when I see "chamber pop" but he nailed it, and one or two dull thuds near the end did not diminish my interest at all.
I quite like Rufus, I saw live once and it was a great evening. I think this falls a bit short of greatness though: a bit too long and overwrought.
After hearing the first few notes, I was sure I would hate this, but I did not. Had some Radioheadesque feel to it.
baroque pop is so not for me - treating this as a contextual scale, 1 star just means not good as one of the “1001* best albums**”
Agnus Dei - 3.5/5 The One You Love - 4.5/5 Peach Trees - 3/5 Little Sister - 3/5 The Art Teacher - 2.5/5 Hometown Waltz - 4/5 This Love Affair - 3/5 Gay Messiah - 3/5 Memphis Skyline - 2.5/5 Waiting For A Dream - 2.5/5 Crumb by Crumb - 3/5 Old Whore's Diet - 4/5
I was listening to this when Canada lost the gold medal game against the USA. Tainted forever .
The last song is brilliant.
I've listened to this about 4 times now. Not because I've enjoyed it, but because I felt like in each of my listens I wasn't actually giving it enough focus to give an objective review. Unfortunately I'm going to just call it here. This album ain't for me. While not bad, the fact that it hasn't been able to grab my attention after so many attempts speaks volumes. His vocals are fine and some of the songs were better than others, but ultimately it falls short of anything spectacular. For me this is a high 2 verging on 3.
This sounded a lot like Radiohead. Pretty interesting album with solid voice and pacing. Lyrics were solid too. Old Whore's Diet was a interesting little samba diddy to end the whole thing. This one feels like a 3.5 and I'm rounding down because I know it isn't a 4.
This is just Radiohead. That is not an insult, it was just shocking how similar it sounded. These were some very cool styles of songs on here that I was getting down with. easy flowing music and vocals. Thought it was going to be a very weird album from the starting song, but it quickly took off to be very good. Old Whore's Diet was a sweet song to end on. This album really grabbed me as it went on and is landing firmly in a 4.
A few songs in and this guy gives me Sufjan Stevens vibes. I do really like the strings in some of these songs. I really like his voice, but the songs end up kinda boring for me. It wasn't until Waiting for a Dream that my ears really perked up. I feel like I should like this because it has some really beautiful elements to it, but something about it falls flat. A bit too baroque and theatrical for me.
I really liked this this!
didn't even notice
The musical equivalent of Radiohead fan fiction. Good, but not as good as the real thing.
It had. One good song. Other than that nah bro
have to retype this since the website keeps lagging… i thought this was alright honestly. does go on slightly too long but i do think rufus has quite an interesting voice. just maybe not being used quite as well as it could be here. not bad at all in my opinion though 😆
boring
this felt longer than it was. bro keeps whining like he’s thom yorke. i don’t like this droned vocal style sorry ..
This starts out okay in that I like the first song but this album is proof that you can have good Van Dyke Parks arrangements but it doesn't matter if all of your songs are like 1 bpm and your voice is 3,000 times louder than everything else. By the end it gets frustrating .
Solid
Thom Yorke meets Jack White but without anything interesting, such a dull album
Suicide inducing. But not bad. 3
No, thank you. Ill give this a 2 for the musicality of some songs but my god it was whiny.
There's nothing really offensively bad about these albums. They are well made and well recorded. I don't really care much about singing voices but I'm sure Rufus Wainwright is considered a good singer. I really don't know why these just bounce off of me but it probably has to do with the fact that it is fairly seamless and polished but there's nothing strange enough for me to remember or be interested in. None of the hooks stick in my head for hours.
I dug it
Here's an artist I know basically nothing about. I had only heard the name from the cover of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" that they used in Shrek. A little melancholy at times, but listening to the folk, orchestral, almost cinematic vibes while eating breakfast and watching the sun rise was a nice experience. I may need to check out more of their work.
The songs were really well crafted in this album. Enjoyed listening all the way through, though it made me feel really sad. The mix of genres blended together really well.
This style didn’t fall nicely on my ears.
There was some alright bits here and there
Very grand. Good for listening to while doing something else. Not my style but the songwriting is great
Before: I have no idea what this is going be, folk psychedelia? Let's see, lot's of E's (explicit lyrics warnings). Probably not folk psychedelia. During: Wow, the opener is interesting, made me chuckle a little. Then the next track goes in a completely different direction. How have I never heard of this guy before? Maybe this will be interesting. Nope, not interesting at all. About half-way in I start reading some of the reviews. My favorite went something like this "this is the worse Radiohead album ever". I tend to agree. After : I had to skip through the last few tracks. And, what's with all the E warnings? I did not hear anything explicit, at all. I even browsed through some of the lyrics and did not see anything that would garner an E warning.
Just thought this was weird, not for me
I tried with this album, I really did. I can hear some fine song craft, but the whole thing is so bloody maudlin, has such an air of cork sniffing pretentiousness, and is so painfully, dolorously slooooooooooow that I just couldn't. Maybe if I was post coital or three cocktails deep.
Radiohead for theatre kids
nice, muse-eqsue. some songs better than others
Not my jam
Not really that bad, but not something I’m interested in. 2.5/5
As a zoomer, a lot of music like this sits in a total blind spot for me, cause I did not exist when most of it was made, and my parents were not into this kind of music. So I barely know anything about this stuff, let alone actually hearing it. My dad didn’t really get back into modern music till I could walk, and the stuff from the 2000s that I’ve gone back to listen to is mostly electronic and hip hop, or harder rock music. So a lot of this alternative soft adjacent kind of music that doesn’t get played on the radio has gone completely under the radar for me. Will all that being said, with all my love for other singer songwriters types (hell, I discovered badly drawn boy and Joanna newsom from this list!) I really thought I’d like this more. But it doesn’t do much for me. Maybe it’s too theatric? I can’t really but my finger on it but it’s just not my thing I guess. Gay Jesus kinda rules though.
Just a sad album. Literally. My son asked that stop playing it while he was home.....and then asked why am I bothering?
Flanked by two eastern-tinged pillars of weird, the inner sanctum of Want Two is full of beauty. From the sophisti-pop of The One You Love to the baroque Little Sister, the stunning ballad The Art Teacher to the elegiac Memphis Skyline, the album is full of gems. Also, shout out to Gay Messiah, which overlays its beautiful music with hilarious biblical imagery
It's clear that Wainwright wants to be Thom Yorke. I'm not the only one who has made that assumption. Unlike Radiohead, Rufus's output sounds repetitive. However, I like "Want Two"; it's a nice album. Now, on to the next record. 3 stars for "Want Two".
I enjoyed several numbers on this. More than the previous album
I didn't like this one. Like a whiny, depressed Billy Joel.
Nothing wrong with it, but not something I'd listen to again.
I like it. It's like a mix of piano and nice vocals. Found some faves on here!
Beautiful singing. Not for me.
This is like if Radiohead exclusively played folk pop and only released albums via Starbucks. I like it.
No one does the big camp wry yearning spectacle that is Rufus, or at least they didn't back in the 00s. Like at least of a few of his albums it's a sort of coming of age- ranging from the empassioned opener Agnes Dei, the meandering dreaminess of Peach Trees, via little baroque ditties, seasick burlesque choruses, and possibly the greatest show tune that never was - Gay Messiah. Excellent baroque pop piano and soft sweet harmonies. Not quite as consistent as I remember but still full of charm and originality. High 3
Fine, I'll give him two, and that's me being generous. In other news, this is my 544th album. Favorite Track: "Old Whore's Diet".
I like how they experiment with different sounds. Some tracks are not too bad. I don’t mind melancholic music but the problem is his voice.. he is fine but most time it feels like he just keeps singing only 2-3 notes…it sounds terribly hypnotic.
not my speed. sounded like an overly dramatic hour in my opinion. this is my second album of Rufus Wainwright and it isn't clicking yet sadly
I want to like this more than I do, but his singing voice ultimately just comes off as whiney and annoying. There were a couple of songs that I enjoyed that I might return to, but otherwise I don't Want Two listen to this one again.
Come man.... Did we really need to have Rufus Wainwright Want One and Want Two on this list? This was a slog to get through. I've never heard someone sound so bored while singing with so much vibrato. Every song sounded painfully familiar with drawn out drawl notes. I want this guy for the Shrek Hallelujah and that's it.
3.75
First impression - really nice. But on a second listen, I felt this album relied really heavily on Rufus amazing voice. I don't mind a good voice, but I feel musically this album isn't really my thing (too musical-like, or opera-like, same thing). It starts to feel samey after a few songs, in fact maybe the fantastic, but dominant voice doesn't help. A harsh 3, even though I'll happily enjoy the odd individual song. But this is an Album list.
So whiny.
Solid album heavily influenced by Radiohead
Although not the highest score, definitely an artist I'll be revisiting. I find the mix of studio recordings and live recordings off putting but I great overall sound. Obvious influence from Thom Yorke is also distracting
Unfortunately, Trump did.
7/10
Really didn't need to hear this. He gives me slight Robbie Williams vibe - that cheesiness, but nowhere near as catchy as a Robbie Williams song.
Didn't get to this yesterday but I'll check it out right now. Hmmmm this is super cool sounding! whoa, that sure shifted from the first song to the next one. Okay some interesting songs here. I'm giving it 3.
It’s not completely terrible but self indulgent and overly whimsical are quite accurate descriptions. Not sure you need that many indie pop hipster albums on this list
Not super exciting but very pretty
Uuuuuuuunnnnnddeeeeerrrrrr the pastries
4.0 stars This was a really interesting album. Even with the music on in the background while I worked, his voice and lyrics consistently cut through...which says a lot. I’d need a few more focused listens to fully unpack what he’s saying, but what I caught felt thoughtful, artistic, and intentional. Sonically, this sits firmly in the singer-songwriter lane, but in a more elevated, almost orchestral way — music that feels designed for headphones and isolation rather than a casual listen. It comes across as reflective and human, like a quiet study of the human condition, and it’s absolutely going on my revisit list. This album also made me want to explore more of his catalog, which is always a good sign. Favorite tracks: Gay Messiah, Waiting for a Dream
I liked this album. My favorite track was The One You Love. There really isn’t much more to say about it lol.
Day 175 Heck of a voice, nice as background music. Highlights Little Sister The Art Teacher
one word. EXCELLENT
A little too slow and drawn out for me. Playing was fairly good, just not my kind of music. 2.5/5 Probably won’t listen again
really unique with a couple of standout tracks that i especially enjoyed (little sister, peach trees)
I really like this Album, I think RW’s voice sounds a lot like Thom York, good songs, Walker Bros inspired arrangements. Really solid. 3.8
This is really good. Love his voice. Like a mix up of John Grant, Radiohead and at times Tom Waits. Such a diverse record too.
Weird, ok
Piano-heavy singer-songwriter, I should like it so much more, but the long-drawn out singing style makes me nuts.
I see two I give two, it was fine but made me want it to be over sooner than it was
Absolutely loved the last track! I have been a Rufus Wainwright for years, but I never listened to this album enterily. Good listening!
Sounds like listening to a 45 on 33rpm.
Talented
Wainwright is clearly very musical. However, I find it very very tedious after the first two songs.
Spotify often puts Rufus Wainwright on daily mixes for me - so I guess that tells you the kind of music I listen to. I don’t know why I’ve never listened to a full album of his before. Really enjoyed this. I liked the storytelling in the songs. Felt like there was a good variation across the album. Even my least favourite songs were still songs I really liked. Fav song: The Art Teacher - also liked This Love Affair and Gay Messiah (I’d definitely heard Gay Messiah before so that’s even more insight into the rest of my music) Least fav: Agnus Dei
Rate that he sang hallelujah but this didn’t move me much. Specific rating - 3.8 Fav song- the one you love Least fav - quand boys mourez de nos amours
You can tell this guy is a musical theatre fan by the grandness of the music and the storytelling. I hadn't heard any of this album before and I love it, it's gorgeous and varied and emotional with such well constructed lyrics! And even better with headphones on- I feel like I'm surrounded by the music. I Want Two listen to it again and again! Favourite song: Art Teacher (or Gay Messiah) Least: Agnus Dei (really wasn't a fan on first listen but it's grown on me)
horny, sexy, girthy, slutty, deeper than I expected
I want to like this but there's just something missing that I can't put my finger on, I like his voice and the lyrical content but just something about the album is hitting my brain in the wrong way to really connect
could only get one song from the 'tube. It was ok.
Omg als ob RUFUS Aber das erste schon besser
Hmh Rating: 7/10 Dann doch besser als erwartet
Truly painful to listen to from the first moment. The definition of "get this out of my ears".
This is bad. Sometimes I can almost hear a beautiful voice in front of amazing instrumental performances, but then I listen a bit closer and hear awful moaning, flat notes, weird rambling and annoying instrument playing.
WHHHHAAAAATTTTTT TTTTTHHHHHHHEEEEE HHHHHHHHEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL IIIIISSSSS THHHHHIIIISSSSSSSSSS. What a whining douche canoe.
It's music
He's a good singer, that's where I'll end with the genuine positives. The songs are mostly boring, trying to be "avant-garde" and at the same time with classical elements. The album was a chore to get through. Though it wasn't unpleasant to the ear, it was very boring. 2/5
Didn't mind the second track. But overall this was incredibly, almost unbelievably dull.
So you guys love Radiohead but hate this? Interesting. This gives me a weird blend, it gave me strokes and vibes of Steven Wilson, Dean Ween, Nick Drake, Stephin Merritt and Thom Yorke and many others, even LCD Soundsystem in terms of singing at points. Creatively it also was much like a river, constantly shifting and changing in the best of ways. I tend to love an album that is ambitious and tries a lot of different things and this is certainly no different. I'm not much bothered by a whiny voice or a negative/yearning disposition and if you aren't either I'd certainly give this a go especially if you like Radiohead, seriously if you like one and not the other you might be a hypocrite. If nothing else, listen to The One I Love, if the whole album were of this quality it'd be a five no question. Best songs: The One I Love Worst songs: N/A Rank compared to everything else so far: 23/57 (below The Black Saint And The Sinner Lady, above Franz Ferdinand)
There are some highlights on this such as the art teacher, memphis skyline and the one you love. All 3 are works of art. The rest of the album had me pining for the superior want one though. This is still a better album than all of his contemporaries were releasing at the time however.
I don't see the greatness here. There is some interesting tonal stuff at times -- unexpected chords or harmony -- but overall, I think you have to love Wainwright's singing or this is just a lot of melodrama. Didn't work for me.
Not my fave
Interesting album, didn't know what to expect. Very operatic pop sound and Rufus has a great voice for this style. Some boring tracks but was still a unique listening experience
He sings like Thom Yorke if he was trained as a choirboy. I liked some of this, but I found some of it quite dreary and forgettable. I will be returning to some songs though.
Sounds like a whiny Radiohead cover band
Album 80. Want Two — Rufus Wainwright (2004) It’s not thaaaat bad, but I didn’t find any value in this album for me. I’d rather listen to something else. It was okay for background listening, but nothing, nothing caught me. I don't understand why this is on the list. 1/5 —————————————— No liked songs
Bro sorry that your life sucks or whaterver but mine doesn't, so go whine your gloomy songs farther from me please
It’s Radiohead for theatre kids what can I say. Light 5/5, I feel like there were a few songs I didn’t like as much as others but I feel like they could grow on me a lot.
wired
Not a fan
Similar voice to Thom Yorke in my opinion. Works much better with rock/grunge that chill music personally
Very theatrical. Not my thing.
Delightful. Emotional and enthralling
4/10 - damn this is whiny, this guy takes whinging to a new level
This is music to trip on acid or to do yoga anything else will make it suck even harder.
I want two give this one three stars
Background music for people organizing their cast iron pan collection.
He's too showtunes for me. It's very theatrical, which I'm not looking for.
definitely noise
The medieval bard vibe is interesting but it grew on me. The singing in this album is majestic. Damn near every song had a part where I went Ooooooh.
I don't know how it feels to be so loud and wrong that I don't think this album is great. Especially comparing it to the absolute shit that is on this list. Discount Thom Yorke? maybe. But if it sounds like this i'll take it. Only critique is the medieval festival moments..why?
#55 What... was this... album...
A cross between Thom Yorke and an operatic Danny Kaye in places. Except this is an overtramatic emotional drone of dross with none of Radiohead's melodic or production redeeming features, and none of Kaye's nuance or storytelling genius. Of course nobody deliberately makes an album of impressions. So it's not Rufus' fault that he sounds like these other guys. And even though I have heard of him, after a single listen to this overlong album, with the insult of an excrutiating 'bonus' track that definitely was no bonus - this is consigned to the bin lorry. 1½
I wanted to not like it but it wasn't awful. Nice for when you want something chill.
Surprisingly enjoyable, smooth voice
2.5/5 - I feel like I should like this a lot more than I do, but it just comes together to be a bit dull. I feel like his voice is lost to lots of theatrics in the music. I like want one way more.
Beautiful. Haunting
That first song oh my lordddd
Pretty good.
Baroque-pop with theatrical vocal delivery. On a macro level, it does fine, but I found it slightly repetitive and a bit dense.
Srarted with a haunting song..for about a minute. From then on it deteriorated track by track into a series of whiney dirges. Pretty awful
Oh man. The first track had me really intrigued: it was weird and the voice was cool, spooky and somewhat familiar. By the third track I felt cheated, lured in by the spiritual chanting vibe. It just didn't do anything except whinge. Real shame. Dude has a voice that could be used so much better. Old Whore's Diet was probably my 'favourite' after the first one. Let's just say it was disappointing.
Is this a Thom Yorke alias? A lot of resemblance here to the Radiohead lead. Overall, the record is eclectic and unique. It’s a good sound throughout and has some enchanting harmonies. Very easy going.
Rufus almost lost me in the very first minute with his nails on a chalkboard instrumental interlude but if you can survive that to the introduction of his melodious vocals you might be pleasantly surprised by the rest of the album that floats like a feather on a light breeze.
Oh i know the gay indie fans loved this album
Very interesting sounding record, reminds me a lot of radio head especially the vocals. But to me it’s not as groundbreaking and the first track is a total write off that I had to skip, but not bad otherwise
This an artist that I knew the name, but couldn't really tell you a song by them. I really like the vibe of this album, kind of reminds me of Keane, one of my OG fav bands!
me aburrió un poco, igual me gusta la voz del chabón
Great opener and not one I expected, hypnotic and massive sounding. Vocally a lot more Thom Yorke than I expected. I only had familiarity with a couple of Wainwright's songs previously (one of which, The Art Teacher is on this album, but stylistically quite different to the rest of it). Really enjoyed this on first listen, I'll be listening again.
3.2 2-3x catch up over multiple days, rated on 2/25. it grew on me for sure
so bardic ily gay messiah
'The lady gloom and her hornets / Circling 'round is now before us.' I'm not sure what Rufus wants, but he seems to reach for some kind of amalgam of Queen + Radiohead, achieving the theatrics of the former and the droning philosophy of the latter. To be fair, he's a better lyricist than Yorke, and has the righteous desire to be understood, but he's still an obscurantist and an aesthete at heart. Clearly an ultra-talented maestro, w/ virtuosic vocals + an aptitude for composition, he yet doesn't know how to write a song that gets into your soul. It isn't that he's trying to outsmart the listener, but he constantly outsmarts himself, and writes/sings tracks that are a half-step from his truth. The best song, 'Gay Messiah,' is regretfully facetious. Meh.
Really loved this. Lyrics were great, he reminded me of Radiohead as well.
Based on the album cover I thought this would be a lot more hippie and slightly more pretentious. It lives up to the pretentious nature but not so much the hippie. It is very emo early 2000's. Mostly it is fine, but nothing spectacular. Every song started to sound the same and his semi-whiny voice just didn't do anything for me. Crumb by Crumb started to show something a little different and a good mesh of his emo vibe and the hippie vibe the cover shows, but then it started to really drag and it was so far in the album to make me really enjoy the album. Plus then we moved into Old Whore's Diet (almost 9 minutes long!) and that did me in. I was on the fence of a 3 but then that last song just pushed me over into blech
I feel like I’ve been recommended Rufus Wainwright in the past because I love Sufjan Stevens and Antony and the Johnsons, both gay icons in modern music, one sublime, the other not. While instrumentally Rufus is very lovely, his voice is way too high in register for my tastes… to the point of being extremely annoying. And he sounds like he’s singing with marbles in his mouth as on Little Sister. Lyrically, it’s fine and I can relate. I just can’t take his voice. I’ll stick with Suf. He’s the quiet, unassuming gay writing beautifully devastating songs alone in his dorm room while Rufus is the drama student with an instrument bursting into song in the library or public space where nobody asked or wants him to. Peach Trees and Gay Messiah are nice though.
Why are we hearing him taking so many loud breaths in some of these songs? Is this more common than I realize and I'm just noticing it for the first time? Maybe it's the combo of his breath and how pronounced his esses are that makes it particularly distracting. I also don't love his voice in general. Anyway, there's something that feels kind of pretentious about this. I can't really put my finger on why, I just couldn't connect with what he was putting down in any meaningful way. And some of it sounded like bad Radiohead music. I wouldn't listen to this again but the second song was decent, and the last song came out with some grooves and some Anohni that I guess saved it from Twosville (the parts when Rufus isn't singing).
Wahrscheinlich musikalisch ziemlich gut. Speziell, nicht mein Ding. Der Track mit dem Kunstlehrer war weird..
simultaneously interesting and obnoxious. "Memphis Skyline" is a nice tribute to Jeff Buckley.
Pretty alright but not as good as Want One
Oeeh, The one you love is een heerlijk popplaatje! Die komt wel ff binnen, maar ik maak me wel ook meteen een klein beetje zorgen; de stem kan nogal zeikerig gaan worden na een tijdje dus ben ik benieuwd of ik me er aan ga irriteren na een tijdje! Heel bijzonder album, ik heb het idee dat Rufus gewoon alle genres probeert af te vinken en maar door blijft gaan. Er is pop, er is een ballad, er is een soort theater/musical nummer, er is een wals. Niet alles werkt, en ik denk altijd meteen weer aan de vergelijking met een all you can eat buffet, maar in deze lijst vind ik het eigenlijk wel een hele prettige afwisseling. Ik was wat bang dat zn stem me kapot zou irriteren omdat het wel wat zeikerig kan zijn, maar tot nu toe(ruim over de helft van het album) valt het me mee. Waarschijnlijk ook weer omdat de muziek interessant en afwisselend genoeg is dat het me er bij houdt. Want uiteindelijk is de stem van de zanger toch wel heel erg Radiohead. En daar ben ik nog altijd geen fan van. Maar ik denk dat de afwisseling me er toch een beetje bij helpt. Nummer als Old Whore's diet is bijvoorbeeld echt Hi-la-risch. Wtf is dit? Op een positieve manier, dit album gaat alle kanten op. Zang is ok, niet geweldig, maar instrumentaal en qua genres maakt het dit album toch net iets interessanter dan een normaal indie album. Ik twijfel tussen 3 en 4 sterren, maar neig denk ik net naar 3 vanwege de zanger die me toch niet helemaal pakt en net iets te veel Radiohead vibes geeft. FAVO: The one you love, Hometown Waltz, Waiting for a dream
What can I say about this album...it was great! I enjoy hearing Rufus sing.
Want One is so good! So why doesn't this one work for me at all?
6/10 This is an interesting album. I know Rufus Wainwright by name, but I’m not really familiar with his work. He’s a very talented vocalist that drifts quite nicely between a Thom Yorke style and a more flamboyant folksy pop style. There were some really lovely moments on the record, and I found myself kind of lost in the sound mix now and again, which is generally a pretty nice place to be. With that being said, there were also moments when I was trying to find something to hold on to and I couldn’t quite find it, despite enjoying the auditory experience. It was kind of like trying to catch smoke in that a little motif or moment would happen and you’d reach for it, but by the time you got there, it slipped between your fingers and went off in a slightly different direction. It also felt a little jumbled stylistically, as there were very sparse, pretty piano and vocal focused pieces, those with more of a musical theatre edge and those with almost more of an indie edge to them, and the way the album went from one to the other of those styles didn’t seem altogether that smooth. When things connected, this was a very pretty wash of sound, but I don’t think that, having listened to it a couple of times, there are any real moments that have stuck in my head by the time the album ends, which is a little bit of a shame. I fell like with a little bit of trimming and some song sequencing changes, I’d probably get a bit more out of this album, but it’s probably a touch too inconsistent and long for my particular tastes. That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy it, but I find it unlikely that I’ll be returning to an album that didn’t really click with me in any meaningful way. Agnus Dei - There’s some pretty horrible scratchy strings in the beginning of this. They’re bad enough that the dog got disturbed and ran out of the room. When the vocal comes in, it’s really pretty. The wash of tone in the orchestration is really, really lovely and warms things up for the album. It’s not necessarily a brilliant track on its own, but as an album opener, it’s really good. The One You Love - We get a bit more of a groove here. He makes some nice rhythmic choices with his vocal delivery. It kind of sounds like a more upbeat Radiohead, but with less nuance and variation in the main melodic lines than their better work. It’s still decent though, and there’s some nice work across the instrumentation to keep things fresh. Peach Trees - Another Radiohead-lite song, but with a slightly latin edge to it. It’s very pretty, but it’s also quite one paced. There’s plenty going on that floats around the main vocal and guitar lines to give things a bit more depth, and some of the backing vocal additions are really nice, but it all feels just a tiny bit too locked into one rhythm for my taste. Little Sister - I’m beginning to get the ‘baroque-pop’ tag that this gets. It’s quite twee. His vocal is very good, but it’s all a bit too roaming and whimsical for me, and lacks a coherent centre, preferring to float around and create a pleasant embrace of tonality, and it ends on quite a funny and overly dramatic note. The Art Teacher - This is far more sparse. It’s again very pretty but is another quite meandering track and despite his vocal flourishes, it’s all a little bit samey throughout. It feels a very personal track, but it still feels a little bit aimless and despite bing pleasant also isn’t that exciting. Hometown Waltz - This feels like a kind of transitional song from a musical. The piano work is good, but it’s all a little bit too whimsical for my tastes. I feel like the album is kind of drifting around to too many styles to feel completely coherent at this point. This Love Affair - Another sparse number that soars and dives with great dynamic range. There’s a bit more musical variety to the track here and his vocal is wonderful. It’s perhaps still not got a real hook to it, but I think it really works despite that. Some of the orchestration is lovely too. Gay Messiah - This is quite plodding and aimless. It picks up the pace a little bit half way through, but the rhythm still remains pretty metronomic. I feel like he hasn’t really found the central motif for this song and just wanders around over the top of a fairly basic repeating chord structure. Tonally, it’s a pleasant listen, but musically it feels a little lacking. Memphis Skyline - This is about Jeff Buckley, apparently. There’s a bit of a theme here in that it’s very pretty, but feels a bit meandering and aimless in some respects. Again, it’s a sparse arrangement and I do appreciate the dynamic range and subtlety of the performance, but it also feels like there’s nothing substantial to grab on to. Waiting For A Dream - The alternating between the effect soaked and very forward vocals is a bit jarring to begin with, but it feels like it’s building to something. The slow groove to this is nice in an almost Air or Zero-7 way. It’s a little disconnected from the rest of the album in that way, but again, this is a very pretty song. There’s more of a central focus to this and while it does drift around, it feels a bit more anchored. Crumb By Crumb - This is another with a bit of a show tune edge to it. There are moments that are decent here, but it’s quite cheesy and doesn’t have the depth of emotion or range to the composition that a lot of the rest of the album has. It’s a pleasant enough pop song, but it doesn’t really completely connect with me. Old Whore's Diet - Theres quite a lot that goes on with this track. It’s a bit of a journey that transitions through different phases and sections. It’s quite a spectacle of a song and leans a bit more to that showy side again. It’s all a little bit too grand for me and feels a little too crowded in places too.
Baroque chamber pop orchestral power wailing. I'd like to like the classical operatic queer intensity, but I straight up did not.
I’m a Rufus Wainwright fan: I love his voice, his theatricality, and the meandering, intricate quality of many of his songs. But I do not think this album belongs on this list. It’s fine, but just blah, compared to his other work, let alone to a body of great albums.
If I could give this negative stars I would
I thought I was going to hate it but he’s pretty good. The guy from Geese clearly ripped him off
Not a huge fan of this sorta emotional music. Can appreciate that it's well made tho.
Nice piano. Are they gay/bi?!?! So cool
no likey
I imagine there are some people who do not find his vocals almost immediately annoying. And some of those people may even consider him their favorite artist. I’m not here to judge them.
Too much of this album reminded me of a lounge singer. When he picked up the energy it was much better. 3+
Listening to Rufus makes me sleepy. Don't really dig his stuff.
This was great! I really loved the one song that built on Ravel's Bolero -- just such a great piece of music to start with and Wainwright really builds on it in a beautiful way. Every track was awesome in its own unique way and I really loved the cool melodies, great harmonies and just amazing performances (both vocally and instrumentally). I have only heard one other of Wainwright's albums before now (also on this site, and I'd heard none of his music prior to that), and I loved them both. His voice is so unique and I really love the way he sounds. It actually surprised me in one place -- I don't recall which song -- his voice really strongly reminded me of Freddie Mercury's, which is crazy to me, thinking about their voices and how different the music is between the two of them, but whatever. I loved this album, five stars easily.
Poor Rufus had to follow Chris Cornell. H e never stood a chance here. When you follow one of the greatest, you better be decent. Rufus wasn't. He wanted 2 and he'll get it. Would be lower if it wasn't Christmas time. 2
2 Thom Yorke does piano music. There, that’s the review. I would call it pretentious and overblown as well, but I feel like that spirit is captured in “Thom Yorke”. Ok, no, that’s not the whole review - for as much shit as I talk, I can’t help being a little pretentious and overblown myself. I really only know Rufus Wainwright for his cover of Hallelujah on the Shrek soundtrack (despite John Cale’s being the version featured in the actual film), and I’ve gotta say, it’s not bad, but it’s certainly not my favorite cover of the song. It’s a good take on a classic but a little lifeless in my opinion compared to Cohen’s and Buckley’s. This album feels like a departure from that sound in a lot of ways with its grandiose production and instrumentation, and yet, I still can’t help but feel a similar sense of lifelessness at its core. For as much as there is going on, it just never comes across as overly interesting, resulting in the whole experience blending together into some sort of pretentious, melodramatic, operatic blob - this feels like the kind of thing I would fall asleep to if I were seeing it live on Broadway. I can’t knock the production, but the songwriting just doesn’t do it for me and neither does Rufus’ voice. I know I’ve already made this point, but to call it identical to Thom Yorke’s really doesn’t feel like any sort of stretch of the imagination, right down its annoying whininess. I was hoping to at least appreciate Gay Messiah as some sort of criticism of Christianity but… I think he’s just hailing himself a Gay Messiah? The only song that feels like any sort of departure sonically from the rest of the album is the closing track, Old Whore’s Diet, but it’s too long, and at that point, you’re pretty checked out anyway. Overall, I have a hard time calling this album objectively bad, but it teeters between bland and insufferable for me, so I really can’t call it good either. However, if you’re more of a theatrical person than myself, I could see it being your thing.
The singing is great. The orchestration and production are top notch. It just doesn’t do anything for me.
Gorgeous. Cinematic, heartbreaking and beautiful
Bizarre. It got a little tiring listening to the pouty whining. I saw that each song had an explicit warning, but heard relatively little profanity. Were the labels affixed because of openly gay longing and lust? Anyway, not my favorite.
Smugness disguised as Radiohead doing musical theatre.
I don't know apparently this will get me drawn and quartered but I really like Rufus Wainwright. Yeah maybe he's pretentious but also there's something charming about his music.
Very melodic, very uplifting, a bit dreamy and drifty. I liked it. I wish I could make more out of the lyrics, but it's still a jam. I like the strong power cords and ethereal voice work.
I listened to this twice and enjoyed it both times. Hours later I’ve forgotten which songs were which. Thus the 3 rating.
Not a fan.
Every song was surprisingly in some way. Very interesting
This was a pretty good album! I like Rufus wainwright he has some pretty good stuff!
We got Want One but did we want Want Two or was our lack of want mistaken for need? I find Want Two as a very dreary album, almost too dreary for me to listen to. I like The One You Love but otherwise these songs feel like outtakes from Want One. The last song about a whore's diet is actually pretty appalling, as it just becomes yelling by 3-4 individuals. I like Rufus Wainwright's music but I can be honest. Even if you want two Rufus Wainwright albums in this book, this one ain't the second one. Much like eating two slices of cake in one sitting, the first piece makes you think that you want more, but then the second piece is just too much for you to handle. That's Want Two. If Rufus wants a "Two," I'll be glad to oblige.
What’s up with this guy? Just a whole lot of hollering! Slow loud hollering. Who’s he yelling at?
Sounds like an attempt of classic music artist to create art-rock album. I like instrumental sound, I don’t like vocals. Way too long notes all over the place. Gives annoying feeling throughout the entire album. I enjoyed listening to the second song “The one you love” It felt like a torture starting from track No.6….endless terrible vocals, which sounded no any different song to song. Sorry, it is 2/5. I give 1 extra point for unusual musical accompaniments.
Little sister is cool. Agnus Dei is cool. Don’t think I’ll be going back to this one though
Päris unenäoline ja piisava krutskiga kuulamine, et mulle meeldiks. Läks kiiresti mööda ja mõtlen, et võiks uuesti. 4/5
Globalement j’ai plutôt bien aimé, mais je suis mitigée sur certaines sonoritésw.
The album cover is the only interesting thing about this album. Snoozefest.
Want Two is a pretty solid album. It has been quite a while since i have heard Want One and this album is described as it's darker cousin but i find both these albums to be cut from the same cloth. This album also seems to juggle several tones from love songs to tragic songs and from comedic songs to serious songs. I did quite like what the album did, i thought that it could sound pretty darn beautiful and the regular pop rock songs (Mainly The One You Love) were pretty good listens to. I think i prefer this album to Want One but i think that might be a recency bias thing. Other than that, i don't have much else to say about this album. Best Song: This Love Affair Worst Song: Crumb by Crumb
Second song is fire. Not sure about the rest. 2/5
Slow, stripped-down tracks reminiscent of Radiohead. I feel like I'm in a Frieren episode listening to Thom Yorke narrate our journey thus far.
Can't help but feel immense similarities to Radiohead on this record, as Rufus Wainwright sounds almost identical to Thom Yorke. 'Want Two', Wainwright's fourth album, is as much baroque pop as it is trippy alternative, but I couldn't help but forget I'm not listening to a Radiohead album at times. The mix is decent and Wainwright does have decent vocal chops, but if I wanted a Radiohead-like sound, I'd listen to Radiohead. Far too similar to Radiohead for my liking. Best songs: Nil
While there has been too many albums that I just hated as their genre just doesn't work for me, you also come across pieces like this. I'd never heard of this artist, but I enjoyed it. This is the important component of this journey.
Familiar with name, not the music. Seemed like ok singer songwriter stuff that had a couple different elements to it but nothing was really capturing my attention. About halfway through I was getting bored and a little annoyed it wasn't over yet. Not for me, but nothing wrong with it
Bien mais surement pas le meilleur
Knockoff Radiohead but in a good way. The stretched out vocals are definitely reminiscent of Thom Yorke, but I enjoyed the listen as a whole. There’s some lulls here and there but I wouldn’t call this album boring. Lots of variety in it. Nice little hidden gem.
interesting batch of songs
wanted to like this but found it very whiny and basic.
vocally a little like Thom Yorke, musically interesting, though a little slow in places
Me entró muy bien, aunque luego fui perdiendo interés 7
I wanted to like this more. 3.5 rounded down.
Apple Music listed this as “rock”. I’d call it “pop”. Some good stuff here (Peach Trees) but he has always been hit and miss for me. 2.5 rounded up.
Absolute art/music wank. But considering I have Mike Oldfield and Enigma in my corner, no choice but to give it a 4!
I didn't mind this album and enjoyed the sound of his vocals - but I think I wasn't in the mood. I'd be interested to pop this one on for a listen when I'm feeling moody and whiney - just the ticket.
ehhh parts were good but not really my vibe
Quite good.
Fuck no. Sounds like even worse Radiohead
To slow and none of the songs are working for me.
Not the biggest fan of the drawling and monotone vocals, but I appreciate Rufus' lyricism and guitar work.
Somehow missed this one. I ended up really enjoying this - he really sounds like Thom Yorke, and a random reddit page agrees.
I want to like this album more than I actually do. It's a bit too experimental for my taste and there are a few songs where I got tired of Wainwright's technique. So I am inclined to round my 3.5 stars down to 3 as a consequence.
There was certainly a buck to be made trying to be like radiohead. This album is certainly listenable but not very memorable. I guess I'll give it a 3 because I think it was well produced and I like the cover etc.
Too whiney.
I’ve listened to (the reverend) Rugis Wainwright here and there but never sat down for a full album. It’s very much what I expected. He’s got that “Thom Yorke without the lazy eye” feel to the point that I think one of them ripped the bother off or they’re related somehow. I know that others have made this observation a million times but it really is uncanny. Content wise it’s sort of a very religiously inspired pop album. There’s a lot of choral and/or church music feel (the opening track the most of course) to this and the instrumentation choices are very western classical. It’s not bad and it’s a nice departure from more modern pop music. He can sing quite well and he’s got a weird way with words. The lyrics are strange and contain a lot of complaining but that’s not a bad thing. I can’t quite say why but I don’t really like this despite my objective platitudes. I would never say I’m in a mood to listen to this and it’s always going to be compared to Radiohead because of his voice. I’m not a huge fan of most singer songwriters because it’s all individualistic and necessarily gated to a style. This is no different.
God fucking awful, don’t offer me that pish again
It sounds quite gay to me, which I like. Very emotional. Bit whiny. The drama! Few ups and downs tho. 3.
Very stoic. Little bit of French, mellow.
if you ever wondered what it would sound like if Radiohead imitated Tom Waits, now you don't have to wonder any longer. A poor attempt at imitating both, not a good song on the album.
Fine, nothing noteworthy
Really loved this album when it came out (and a lot more than Want One)-lots of beauty and theatrics. Upon a re-listen, it doesn’t quite hold up, but it’s pretty good. Really like 2.5 stars.
Drags on a bit, though ironically the longest track (Old Whore's Diet) is my favourite by a mile
Fantastic singer-songwriter compositions!
3,5
Not my style on anyway shape or form but not unpleasant. Rufus is undeniably a good vocalist with an excellent tonal quality that fits nicely with this big band lite pop music. While the lyrics are remarkably personal, they seem somehow to fit the mood of the album. At times upbeat but mostly sad, the theatrical quality to this pop music makes it enjoyable. What I do recognize is that I am unqualified to judge this work. I’m sure those who connect with this left field form of pop will love it and consider it an exemplar of the form. I absolutely have no idea. I do note the shift in music sound and form and am impressed with the attention to detail in the sound quality. Thus would make perfect headphone music. For me, in terms of enjoyment it’s a 3/5 but completely subjective.
Fucking awful this. He may Want Two but he will be lucky not to get a 1. Whiny nonsense songs that kind of have a weird Victorian vibe. A struggle to get through. He just about scrapes the 2 he wanted.
Never bought any of his albums as I got the feeling from the reviews at the time that they were a bit too eclectic. After listening to the opening track then the second I thought I might have been right. However, everything after the opening track is the same. I got bored of listening to this. The only thing that peaked my interest every so often was forgetting I was listening to this and thinking ‘oh, is Thom Yorke on this track?’
Dette gir meg veldig lite. Altså det gir meg mye Radiohead vibes, men ikke på den gode måten; det får meg til å tenke at jeg heller vil høre på Radiohead. Rufus er en flink musiker som kan klimpre på piano og synge noter de fleste av oss bare kan drømme om. Men han er også extremt dull? Til tross for at det høres ut som om han både synger og spiller med pathos, høres det sterilt ut, som om han er en alien som prøver å simulere pathos ved å ha hørt på Radiohead. Jeg liker Rufus bedre når han simulerer Joanna Newsom (litt usikker på om det er henne eller noen andre dette minner meg om) på Hometown Waltz, men igjen, andre har gjort dette bedre. Jo lenger jeg hører på albumet, desto vanskeligere er det å ikke nevne Radiohead. This Love Affair er så sykt Life in a Glasshouse om Glasshouse var [et overdrevet høyt nummer] ganger dårligere. Men av en eller annen grunn vegrer jeg meg for å kalle det pastiche eller imitering, kanskje fordi det er kontemporært med hverandre? På Gay Messiah synes jeg han treffer noe.
Hørtes ut som Jeff Buckley hadde digga Beatles enda mer. Eventuelt Tim Buckley? Hadde store forventninger til plata, men følte ikke helt at det innfridde. Noen fine låter, kanskje særlig "Hometown Waltz", men kjedet meg litt fordi det føltes litt tannløst. Flinkismusikk
Man må komme med litt mer før man begynner å synge på latin ass. Dette er klassisk musikk for folk som verken vet hva det er, eller liker klassisk musikk. Jeg tror dette kunne vært ganske fint hvis han var litt mer dristig i komposisjonene, plata var kortere, hvis han hadde uttalt ordene, åpnet munnen når han puster inn og hvis ikke alt var så jævlig komprimert og in-your-face hele tida. Nå blei det mye negativitet her, det er noe fine øyeblikk i denne skiva og, men pakka er dårlig og irriterende
Another album I thought I had figured out but by the end I was thoroughly impressed. Its wide open folksy arrangments and use of classical music themes is well found in my mind. Vocal melodies are rich and robust that of a trained vocalist. And the songwriting is ACES. That hometown waltz song hits home with me in particular as in my life right now. So bonus points. Thanks roofy keep it real hopefully there is more of your work on this list.
Interesting listen. Has some accoustic Radiohead vibes in spots. Good background album. Doesn't command attention but I feel if I were listening with headphones I would be transported.
Not for me, but still better than Radiohead. True rating would be a 2.5.
The guy has a great voice but I'm just not sure when I would ever want to listen to this.