Rykodisc
2007
Black Fingernails, Red Wine
About This Album
There is a darker atmosphere on this album that was only hinted at on the band's previous releases. Turning to the gothic era of the '80s, you can almost smell the eyeliner as Eskimo Joe echo the Smiths, INXS and the Cure. Bizarrely, it doesn't make the album sound dated at all, the band has merely infused these influences with its own 21st century sensibilities, taking back the production reigns for, arguably, their strongest album yet. While there are still rock bursts of guitars, bass, and drums, the Australian trio of Kav Temperley, Joel Quartermain, and Stuart MacLeod show a heavier reliance on keyboards here, which is apparent from the opening lines of "Comfort You" until the final sustained piano notes of closing track "How Does It Feel." This is one of the main factors contributing to the moodier theme; another is the direction the lyrics have taken. The title track, one of the album's best, displays an ambivalent observation of the world around us: "The argument over God continues/In this house/All of us stand and point our fingers" and the puzzling first line of the wonderfully catchy "Sarah": "Sarah/Won't you tell me your name?" signifies a desire to lead the listener in a new direction.
Track List

Disc 1 (try tracks 1,2,4,5,6,7,8,9 and 10)

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Disc 2

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