Customer Reviews
Sarah's Earlier Stuff
She is one-of-a-kind and will always be at the top of my music list. A tribute to Sarah Harmers ability to play in many musical genre's. This album has a rock/alternative feel; watch out for the hidden track!.
amazing...
This was the case with Weeping Tile. It's kind of sad when you pick up an album from a band that is no longer making new records. Being a Queen's University alum, I got a taste of this band while in Kingston, Ontario, but never paid them much attention. I saw Sarah Harmer briefly performing from her Songs for Clem CD, but never put 2 and 2 together. I later got "You Were Here", her solo CD and her follow-up "All of Our Names" and just loved them. I checked out her bio to uncover her Weeping Tile and immediately scoured Amazon for Weeping Tile. I ordered all three CDs and love every one of them. It's kind of cool to be able to see where an artist comes from musically, and to know Sarah from her music now and to here her in Weeping Tile is a real treat. The total hi-fi sound, edgier vibe, and wild energy, offset at times with Sarah's quieter melodies make Valentino my favourite of the bunch. I wish the radios would pick up Weeping Tile now - it seems that their music would do better today than it did 10 years ago, which is kind of sad but a testament that great music never becomes too dated.
Master songcraft, diverse and timeless.
Early Weeping Tile didn't betray much of Harmer's country-music roots -- which she would fully expose on the downright classic country of her next record, Songs for Clem. Valentino is the missing link between the rough, rocking energy of early Weeping Tile and the pensive, country-folk troubadour that is lead singer Sarah Harmer today. On the band's first record Cold Snap, Harmer's angular, sometimes punkish singing didn't exactly suggest any country influences. Valentino, however, begins to explore that aspect of her musicianship. Lead track "South of Me" immediately negotiates her musical dichotomy, with an instantly recognizable guitar hook and driving beats, but once the vocals kick in, you can hear traces of modern Harmer -- her singing is more soulful, fuller, with her now-trademark twang and vibrato emerging. She can still rock out beautifully, as on the grooving guitar-pop perfection of "Through Yr Radio", but "Judy G. " and "Old Perfume" are downright classicist in their old-time, guitar-and-voice country approach, "Goin' Out" is a Gram Parsons-style song if there ever was one, and even the poppy "Every Good Story" has rockabilly and country tinges.
As if reminding herself not to stray too far into the softer side of her music, Harmer throws in a hidden track at the end of the record, a bizarre, hilarious hardcore punk (!) song with an indecipherable lead vocal (it sounds like it's singing "Big guitars and broken nose"!). Originally I'd thought it was solely the work of Weeping Tile guitarist Luther Wright; according to a 1997 article, it's written and sung by bassist Sticky. But as a signing-off for Valentino, it's perfect -- because as Sarah Harmer moves on with her musical career, she would increasingly distance herself from the rock side of her musical persona and focus on her country-folk influences. Personally, I still miss that rock and roll spark which had made Valentino and Cold Snap such exhilarating listens nearly 10 years after their release; the rock edge had complemented and augmented Harmer's music very well. Hopefully Harmer will re-incorporate this influence in her future music, but for the time being, the Weeping Tile records are still testament that when Harmer rocks, she rocks with the best of them.
. You can see a complete list of all Weeping Tile discography, or go back to the Weeping Tile tabs
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