Have You Fed the Fish

Have You Fed the Fish

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
The second full-length album (not counting his superb soundtrack to About a Boy) by Damon Gough, a.k.a. Badly Drawn Boy, reveals the true depths of his songwriting and arranging talents. While his debut, The Hour of the Bewilderbeast, knocked us dead with his fey, indie-folk-rock sensibilities, Have You Fed the Fish shows a musician striving for top-shelf greatness in the pantheon of British pop, à la the Beatles, Oasis, and Radiohead. Lush arrangements with strings, horns, a very grand piano, and guitars abound, with a richness rarely found in pop and rock music these days. Gough's songwriting is topnotch and by turns catchy and clever, stinging and personal. But you've been warned: this album gives us less of the indie-pop hero you may want to love, and more of a classic rock idol in the making. Beck/Elliott Smith producer Tom Rothrock is at the helm, and the glossy sheen that results may offend some lo-fi "slacker pop" aficionados. --Lorry Fleming

Have You Fed the Fish,Badly Drawn Boy,Reincarnate Music,Pop,Rock,Rock/Pop


Have You Fed the Fish

Have You Fed the Fish
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • I can't stop listening to "You Were Right" over and over
  • You Can't Believe It, I know
  • Have You Heard Anything Else This Original Lately?
  • It's never gonna be like "The Hour..." get over yourselfs and take it for what it is
  • Very Good.
Have You Fed the Fish
Badly Drawn Boy
Manufacturer: Reincarnate Music
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

GeneralGeneral | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Rock | Styles | Music
Pop RockPop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
Similar Items:
  1. One Plus One Is One
  2. About a Boy
  3. Born in the U.K.
  4. It's Never Been Like That
  5. At War with the Mystics

ASIN: B00006LHW4
Release Date: 2002-11-05

Tracks:

  1. Coming In To Land
  2. Have You Fed the Fish?
  3. Born Again
  4. 40 Days, 40 Fights
  5. All Possibilities
  6. I Was Wrong
  7. You Were Right
  8. Centre Peace
  9. How
  10. The Further I Slide
  11. Imaginary Lines
  12. Using Our Feet
  13. Tickets to What You Need
  14. What Is It Now
  15. Bedside Story

Amazon.com

The second full-length album (not counting his superb soundtrack to About a Boy) by Damon Gough, a.k.a. Badly Drawn Boy, reveals the true depths of his songwriting and arranging talents. While his debut, The Hour of the Bewilderbeast, knocked us dead with his fey, indie-folk-rock sensibilities, Have You Fed the Fish shows a musician striving for top-shelf greatness in the pantheon of British pop, à la the Beatles, Oasis, and Radiohead. Lush arrangements with strings, horns, a very grand piano, and guitars abound, with a richness rarely found in pop and rock music these days. Gough's songwriting is topnotch and by turns catchy and clever, stinging and personal. But you've been warned: this album gives us less of the indie-pop hero you may want to love, and more of a classic rock idol in the making. Beck/Elliott Smith producer Tom Rothrock is at the helm, and the glossy sheen that results may offend some lo-fi "slacker pop" aficionados. --Lorry Fleming

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars I can't stop listening to "You Were Right" over and over.......2006-05-16

Seriously, I can't stop listening to "You Were Right" over and over.
It is one of the most moving songs I've ever heard. I'm 37 and there have been alot of nights.

5 out of 5 stars You Can't Believe It, I know.......2006-02-04

I know many true BDB fans will find this offensive but if it wasn't for this album, I wouldn't be a BDB fan. In fact, their other efforts are barely tolerable. For every thousand times I have played "Have You Fed The Fish" I have played all their other albums once. On the up side, if I had a top 100 alternative albums of all time list this little gem would definitely make the cut. If this is your only exposure to BDB and you like it. Be cautious with their other titles, they may bore you like they bore me.

4 out of 5 stars Have You Heard Anything Else This Original Lately?.......2005-11-05

I love it when an artist is capable of having some fun with his career. Badly Drawn Boy (aka Damon Gough) can be as serious as a heart attack, but he always sounds relaxed with himself, regardless of the topic. The net effect is that everything he records sounds so much more imaginative and creative, without drowning in the pathos that so many singer/songwriters utilize to express their innermost feelings. "Have You Fed the Fish?" is about as mundane a title as I can imagine, and yet the title track is bursting with energy, creativity, humor, and yes, perhaps just a touch of pathos. Throughout, the instrumentation is as imaginatively creative as the songs themselves. While a xylophone offers a distinct touch to one track, a full orchestra accompanies others. In either case, the instrumentation never bogs things down. In fact, some of the string-laden arrangements actually swing. Other songs betray a funky edge, too, ("Forty Days, Forty Fights"), but stylization is only a means to an end here, providing a basis and a bright atmosphere for the songwriting.

Overall, the mood is fun without becoming flighty, and reflective without becoming morose. It offers insight and entertainment simultaneously, in a manner that draws the listener in. A high point occurs when the short acoustic track "I Was Wrong" introduces "You Were Right". As the upbeat, reflective mood establishes itself, Gough shares a dream wherein he "was married to the queen, and Madonna lived next door. I think she took a shine to me..." Nevertheless, he remains true to himself, but then reflects on how he reacted when he heard the news about the deaths of a few celebrity heroes (John Lennon, Frank Sinatra, Kurt Cobain, Jeff Buckley), realizing that he ultimately did nothing but sit in and watch the news on television. The track "How?" best sums up his perspective when he sings, "How can I give you the answers you need when all I possess is a melody?" After all, feeding the fish might sound brain-numbingly mundane, but not from the perspective of the fish. A- Tom Ryan

4 out of 5 stars It's never gonna be like "The Hour..." get over yourselfs and take it for what it is.......2005-08-02

We all know about the comparisions being made to BDB's debut CD, "The Hour of the Bewilderbeast". We just have to get used to the fact that nothing BDB puts out there will be anything like it!

While this may not be better than BDB's first effort, it's a solid, good effort.

Forget "The Hour..." and all his previous work. This CD is filled with some great songs.

Favorite for me are:

"All Possibilities" (by far the best song on the CD for me)

"40 Days, 40 Fights"

"The Further I Slide"

"Born Again"

"How"

"I Was Wrong"

"You Were Right"

"Imaginary Lines" (I wish it was longer!) and

"Using Our Feet"

Be open minded! BDB is refreshing and completely talented compared to all the BS out there. Give this CD another chance

4 out of 5 stars Very Good........2005-04-27

Badly Drawn Boy's second CD was fantastic. It's upbeat rythmes, catchy melodies, and orchestrations are addicting. Having said that it is not so much the same style as Hour of the BewilderBeast. Unlike his other albums it's missing it's tear-jerking masterpiece. However, I am a big BDB fan, and although it's not the same style as the first, I love it. Here's a list of my favorite songs on the CD.

1. Have you fed the Fish?: 4/5 Starts out kind of boring, then turns really friggin' great. The two second stages of this song are fantastic. This song will get stuck in your head, I garentee it.

2. 40 Days 40 Fights: 5/5 Really great song, this song is one of the reasons why I bought the CD. It has a interesting feel to it, and it's certainly a good one.

3. All Possibilities: 5/5 Best song on the CD. Awesome horn part, with a trippy string section, and an awesome bass. Has almost a disco feel.

4. How?: 3/5 This song is kind of boring, but there's a section in the middle that is probably my favorite moment in modern musical history.

5. Imaginary Lines: 3/5 Fun little song, but too short. I wish it was longer.

6. Tickets To What you need: 4/5 Good song.

Badly Drawn Boy makes great music and has awesome lyrics. He's a poet and that really comes out in his music. He also has a little thing called talent.
Have You Fed the Fish?
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • Badly Drawn from Khanoda's earlier catalogue?
  • Have you fed them?
Have You Fed the Fish?
Badly Drawn Boy
Manufacturer: Xl Recordings
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

GeneralGeneral | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
Chamber PopChamber Pop | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
BritainBritain | British Isles | Europe | International | Styles | Music
Singer-SongwritersSinger-Songwriters | Pop | Styles | Music
Pop RockPop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
Adult AlternativeAdult Alternative | Pop | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Rock | Styles | Music
Similar Items:
  1. One Plus One Is One
  2. Born in the U.K.
  3. Born in the U.K.
  4. Perfect From Now On
  5. The Crane Wife

ASIN: B00065GIGO
Release Date: 2004-11-09

Tracks:

  1. Coming In To Land
  2. Have You Fed The Fish
  3. Born Again
  4. 40 Days, 40 Fights
  5. All Possibiliies
  6. I Was Wrong
  7. You Were Right
  8. Centrepeace
  9. How
  10. Further I Slide, The
  11. Imaginary Lines
  12. Using Our Feet
  13. Tickets To What You Need
  14. What Is It Now
  15. Bedside Story

Album Description

HAVE YOU FED THE FISH? opens with the most subtle of skits before launching into the title track, a 70s-style power ballad out of the Stephen Bishop songbook. The title track fades into crunchy, imploring angry indie rock in the Modest Mouse tradition ("40 Days, 40 Fights") which shifts into a swirling disco-era dance number ("All Possibilities") then disintegrates into an earnest epic, lyrically Dylan-esque love song suite ("I Was Wrong/You Were Right"). Incorporating something like seven verses, a whistled interlude, a synth solo and a couple kitchen sinks. And that's Damon Gough (aka. Badly Drawn Boy) in a nutshell; he could be called Beck without the gimmicks, bells and whistles, but more aptly should be referred to as his ultimate own man. HAVE YOU FED THE FISH?, the prolific BDB's second record of 2002, displays the linguistic mastery of a Swiftian wordsmith, someone who loves to toy with the language while understanding the value of restraint in a well-turned phrase, a wit which can exhibit the sharpest irony but also possesses the guts to write a song as breathtakingly sincere as the aforementioned "You Were Wrong/I Was Right," a song as beautiful and as achingingly clumsy as is the truest of love. "Unlike most of his contemporaries, singer-songwriter Gough is willing to explore all sorts of styles while allowing himself to be as playful or serious as he wants"--Alternative Press.

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars Badly Drawn from Khanoda's earlier catalogue?.......2006-10-19

I've been hooked on BDB since "...Bewilderbeast" and this album definitely did not fail in continuing to raise my expectations on what a fine songwriter Damon Gough is, but I couldn't help but hearing some similarities between the track "All Possibilities" to that of a song by Khanoda called "That's My Desire" from his album "Klosure" released in 1998 originally (according to Amazon). Same guitar strumming kind of jaunt with a trumpet break. Now mind you, this hadn't occured to me until recently when I went back to hear "All Posibilities" after hearing it in a Target commercial (oddly enough, I often overlooked the track since it felt like I heard it before, and now I know where). It also made me wonder if "Something To Talk About", from the "About A Boy" soundtrack by BDB released in 2002, is a response, or tribute, or whatever, to Khanoda's song "Something To Shout About", also from his album "Klosure". Is there a connection?

4 out of 5 stars Have you fed them?.......2005-01-03

After his brilliant debut, "Hour of Bewilderbeast," Badly Drawn Boy (real name: Damon Gough) had a lot to live up to in his second (non-soundtrack) album. And he comes close to delivering in "Have You Fed the Fish?", a sparkling folky-pop album that displays his musical depth and complexity.

It opens with an announcer (like on a plane) informing us that outside the window is a cloud that looks just like Badly Drawn Boy. It's a pretentious moment that isn't too annoying -- especially when it dissolves into sparkling, layered pop. Gough relies on piano pop in songs like "40 Days 40 Fights," and the passionate ballad "How." It's his best area; he can really wring feeling from those keys.

But he also dips into the more acoustic sound, with the danceable "Born Again" and the low-key "I Was Wrong." And "Tickets To What You Need" is more acoustic than any other song -- stripped down, with Gough's vocals in the forefront, he sounds like he's standing on a table and joyously singing to the crowds. After a few more chillingly panoramic pop melodies and piano-led laments, he bows out in the soaring fuzz-guitar "Bedside Story."

It's all too easy to alienate someone you love, perhaps forever. Gough seems to be speaking through his songs to someone else, saying "I Was Wrong," "You Were Right" (two songs from the middle of this album). He retains the experimental edge, giving extra layers and sonic flourishes to what could have been an ordinary indie-folk-pop album.

If there's any flaw in "Have You Fed The Fish?", it's that it seems sometimes that Gough is trying a little too hard. Relax, mate. His acoustic guitar and exquisite piano playing are the middle of the album's sound, but he backs it up with horns, strings, sometimes thunderous percussion, and cymbals. Not to mention the smooth synthy sweeps in songs like "Centre Peace."

Gough's mellow voice is a bit like an instrument in itself -- he seems kind of timid about being in the forefront musically. He only breaks out in "Tickets To What You Need," sounding playful and charming. There are some lyrical stumbles ("And woman, I'll make you a girl"?), but most of the time he manages to wrap strangely sensitive words around the songs. "And you/were right to bide your time and not buy into my misery/Well the good things are never free..."

Gough doesn't reach the heights of his debut album, but taken alone "Have You Fed The Fish" is a beautiful little pop classic overshadowed by the bigger classic, "Bewilderbeast."
Have You Fed the Fish (Bonus CD)
Average customer rating: Not rated
    Have You Fed the Fish (Bonus CD)
    Badly Drawn Boy
    Manufacturer: Japanese Import
    ProductGroup: Music
    Binding: Audio CD

    GeneralGeneral | Rock | Styles | Music
    Pop RockPop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
    Adult AlternativeAdult Alternative | Pop | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
    Alternative RockAlternative Rock | Imports | Stores | Music
    RockRock | Imports | Stores | Music
    ASIN: B000075AXD
    Release Date: 2003-04-08

    Tracks:

    1. Coming Into Land
    2. Have You Fed The Fish
    3. Born Again
    4. 40 Days 40 Flights
    5. All Possiblilites
    6. I Was Wrong
    7. You Were Right
    8. Centre Peace
    9. How
    10. The Further I Slide
    11. Imaginary Lines
    12. Using Our Feet
    13. Tickets To What You Need
    14. What Is It Now
    15. Bedside Story
    16. Last Fruit (Bonus Track)
    17. + Bonus Live At Glastonbury CD

    Album Description

    Japanese edition of the alternative singer/songwriter's 2002 album includes one bonus track, 'Last Fruit', & a 16-track bonus disc with the first pressing. The bonus disc was recorded live at Glastonbury 2002 & features, 'Where Were You?', 'Something To Talk About', 'A Minor Incident', 'River, Sea, Ocean', 'Sha La La', 'Everybody's Stalking', 'The Further I Slide', 'Magic In The Air', 'The Shining', 'Once Around The Block', 'Pissing In The Wind', 'Let The Sunshine In', 'Shake The Rollercoaster', 'Golden Days', 'You Were Right', & 'What Is It Now?'. Twisted Nerve/XL.

    Album Details

    Japanese Version of the Limited Edition Two CD Set featuring an Untitled Bonus Track.
    Have You Fed The Fish
    Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    • Badly Drawn from Khanoda's earlier catalogue?
    • Have you fed them?
    Have You Fed The Fish
    Badly Drawn Boy
    Manufacturer: Import [Generic]
    ProductGroup: Music
    Binding: Audio CD

    GeneralGeneral | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Rock | Styles | Music
    Adult AlternativeAdult Alternative | Pop | Styles | Music
    Alternative RockAlternative Rock | Imports | Stores | Music
    ASIN: B00006J67C
    Release Date: 2003-01-28

    Album Description

    Highly anticipated 2002 album from talented wunderkind Damon Gough. This Canadian limited edition includes a bonus live CD recorded at Glastonbury 2002 & featuring 16 tracks, 'Where Were You?', 'Something To Talk About', 'A Minor Incident', 'River, Sea, Ocean', 'Sha La La', 'Everybody's Stalking', 'The Further I Slide', 'Magic In The Air', 'The Shining', 'Once Around The Block', 'Pissing In The Wind', 'Let The Sunshine In', 'Shake The Rollercoaster', 'Golden Days', 'You Were Right' & 'What Is It Now?'. The album has standard packaging while the bonus disc comes in a paper sleeve.

    Album Details

    Special Edition of AKA Damon Gough's Sophomore Album Comes Packaged with Bonus Limited 16 Song Live Disc. The 16 Performances were Recorded During his Set at the 2002 Glastonbury Festival in England which Received Amazing Reviews.

    Customer Reviews:

    4 out of 5 stars Badly Drawn from Khanoda's earlier catalogue?.......2006-10-19

    I've been hooked on BDB since "...Bewilderbeast" and this album definitely did not fail in continuing to raise my expectations on what a fine songwriter Damon Gough is, but I couldn't help but hearing some similarities between the track "All Possibilities" to that of a song by Khanoda called "That's My Desire" from his album "Klosure" released in 1998 originally (according to Amazon). Same guitar strumming kind of jaunt with a trumpet break. Now mind you, this hadn't occured to me until recently when I went back to hear "All Posibilities" after hearing it in a Target commercial (oddly enough, I often overlooked the track since it felt like I heard it before, and now I know where). It also made me wonder if "Something To Talk About", from the "About A Boy" soundtrack by BDB released in 2002, is a response, or tribute, or whatever, to Khanoda's song "Something To Shout About", also from his album "Klosure". Is there a connection?

    4 out of 5 stars Have you fed them?.......2005-01-30

    After his brilliant debut, "Hour of Bewilderbeast," Badly Drawn Boy (real name: Damon Gough) had a lot to live up to in his second (non-soundtrack) album. And he comes close to delivering in "Have You Fed the Fish?", a sparkling folky-pop album that displays his musical depth and complexity.

    It opens with an announcer (like on a plane) informing us that outside the window is a cloud that looks just like Badly Drawn Boy. It's a pretentious moment that isn't too annoying -- especially when it dissolves into sparkling, layered pop. Gough relies on piano pop in songs like "40 Days 40 Fights," and the passionate ballad "How." It's his best area; he can really wring feeling from those keys.

    But he also dips into the more acoustic sound, with the danceable "Born Again" and the low-key "I Was Wrong." And "Tickets To What You Need" is more acoustic than any other song -- stripped down, with Gough's vocals in the forefront, he sounds like he's standing on a table and joyously singing to the crowds. After a few more chillingly panoramic pop melodies and piano-led laments, he bows out in the soaring fuzz-guitar "Bedside Story."

    It's all too easy to alienate someone you love, perhaps forever. Gough seems to be speaking through his songs to someone else, saying "I Was Wrong," "You Were Right" (two songs from the middle of this album). He retains the experimental edge, giving extra layers and sonic flourishes to what could have been an ordinary indie-folk-pop album.

    If there's any flaw in "Have You Fed The Fish?", it's that it seems sometimes that Gough is trying a little too hard. Relax, mate. His acoustic guitar and exquisite piano playing are the middle of the album's sound, but he backs it up with horns, strings, sometimes thunderous percussion, and cymbals. Not to mention the smooth synthy sweeps in songs like "Centre Peace."

    Gough's mellow voice is a bit like an instrument in itself -- he seems kind of timid about being in the forefront musically. He only breaks out in "Tickets To What You Need," sounding playful and charming. There are some lyrical stumbles ("And woman, I'll make you a girl"?), but most of the time he manages to wrap strangely sensitive words around the songs. "And you/were right to bide your time and not buy into my misery/Well the good things are never free..."

    Gough doesn't reach the heights of his debut album, but taken alone "Have You Fed The Fish" is a beautiful little pop classic overshadowed by the bigger classic, "Bewilderbeast."
    Have You Fed the Fish?
    Average customer rating: Not rated
      Have You Fed the Fish?
      Badly Drawn Boy
      Manufacturer: Toshiba EMI
      ProductGroup: Music
      Binding: Audio CD

      GeneralGeneral | Rock | Styles | Music
      GeneralGeneral | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
      Chamber PopChamber Pop | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
      Adult AlternativeAdult Alternative | Pop | Styles | Music
      ASIN: B00007M8LX
      Release Date: 2003-02-10

      Album Details

      Japanese Version featuring Two Bonus Tracks
      Have You Fed The Fish
      Average customer rating: Not rated
        Have You Fed The Fish
        Badly Drawn Boy
        Manufacturer: XL
        ProductGroup: Music
        Binding: Audio CD

        GeneralGeneral | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
        GeneralGeneral | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
        ASIN: B000LYU5ZU
        Have You Fed the Fish? + 16
        Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
        • Badly Drawn from Khanoda's earlier catalogue?
        • Have you fed them?
        Have You Fed the Fish? + 16
        Badly Drawn Boy
        ProductGroup: Music
        Binding: Audio CD

        GeneralGeneral | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
        GeneralGeneral | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
        ASIN: B00006J67B

        Tracks:

        1. Coming In To Land
        2. Have You Fed The Fish
        3. Born Again
        4. 40 Days 40 Fights
        5. All Possibilities
        6. I Was Wrong
        7. You Were Right
        8. Centrepeace
        9. How
        10. The Further I Slide
        11. Imaginary Lines
        12. Using Our Feet
        13. Tickets To What You Need
        14. What Is It Now
        15. Bedside Story
        16. Where Were You (Bonus CD)
        17. Something To Talk About (Bonus CD)
        18. A Minor Incident (Bonus CD)
        19. River Sea Ocean (Bonus CD)
        20. Sha La La (Bonus CD)
        21. Everybodys Stalking (Bonus CD)
        22. Th Further I Slide (Bonus CD)
        23. Magic In The Air (Bonus CD)
        24. The Shining (Bonus CD)
        25. Once Around The Block (Bonus CD)
        26. Pissing In The Wind (Bonus CD)
        27. Let The Sunshine In (Bonus CD)
        28. Shake The Rollercoaster (Bonus CD)
        29. Golden Days (Bonus CD)
        30. You Were Right (Bonus CD)
        31. What Is It Now (Bonus CD)

        Album Description

        Highly anticipated 2002 album from talented wunderkind Damon Gough. This Canadian limited edition includes a bonus live CD recorded at Glastonbury 2002 & featuring 16 tracks, 'Where Were You?', 'Something To Talk About', 'A Minor Incident', 'River, Sea, Ocean', 'Sha La La', 'Everybody's Stalking', 'The Further I Slide', 'Magic In The Air', 'The Shining', 'Once Around The Block', 'Pissing In The Wind', 'Let The Sunshine In', 'Shake The Rollercoaster', 'Golden Days', 'You Were Right' & 'What Is It Now?'. The album has standard packaging while the bonus disc comes in a paper sleeve.

        Album Details

        Special Edition of AKA Damon Gough's Sophomore Album Comes Packaged with Bonus Limited 16 Song Live Disc. The 16 Performances were Recorded During his Set at the 2002 Glastonbury Festival in England which Received Amazing Reviews.

        Customer Reviews:

        4 out of 5 stars Badly Drawn from Khanoda's earlier catalogue?.......2006-10-19

        I've been hooked on BDB since "...Bewilderbeast" and this album definitely did not fail in continuing to raise my expectations on what a fine songwriter Damon Gough is, but I couldn't help but hearing some similarities between the track "All Possibilities" to that of a song by Khanoda called "That's My Desire" from his album "Klosure" released in 1998 originally (according to Amazon). Same guitar strumming kind of jaunt with a trumpet break. Now mind you, this hadn't occured to me until recently when I went back to hear "All Posibilities" after hearing it in a Target commercial (oddly enough, I often overlooked the track since it felt like I heard it before, and now I know where). It also made me wonder if "Something To Talk About", from the "About A Boy" soundtrack by BDB released in 2002, is a response, or tribute, or whatever, to Khanoda's song "Something To Shout About", also from his album "Klosure". Is there a connection?

        4 out of 5 stars Have you fed them?.......2005-01-30

        After his brilliant debut, "Hour of Bewilderbeast," Badly Drawn Boy (real name: Damon Gough) had a lot to live up to in his second (non-soundtrack) album. And he comes close to delivering in "Have You Fed the Fish?", a sparkling folky-pop album that displays his musical depth and complexity.

        It opens with an announcer (like on a plane) informing us that outside the window is a cloud that looks just like Badly Drawn Boy. It's a pretentious moment that isn't too annoying -- especially when it dissolves into sparkling, layered pop. Gough relies on piano pop in songs like "40 Days 40 Fights," and the passionate ballad "How." It's his best area; he can really wring feeling from those keys.

        But he also dips into the more acoustic sound, with the danceable "Born Again" and the low-key "I Was Wrong." And "Tickets To What You Need" is more acoustic than any other song -- stripped down, with Gough's vocals in the forefront, he sounds like he's standing on a table and joyously singing to the crowds. After a few more chillingly panoramic pop melodies and piano-led laments, he bows out in the soaring fuzz-guitar "Bedside Story."

        It's all too easy to alienate someone you love, perhaps forever. Gough seems to be speaking through his songs to someone else, saying "I Was Wrong," "You Were Right" (two songs from the middle of this album). He retains the experimental edge, giving extra layers and sonic flourishes to what could have been an ordinary indie-folk-pop album.

        If there's any flaw in "Have You Fed The Fish?", it's that it seems sometimes that Gough is trying a little too hard. Relax, mate. His acoustic guitar and exquisite piano playing are the middle of the album's sound, but he backs it up with horns, strings, sometimes thunderous percussion, and cymbals. Not to mention the smooth synthy sweeps in songs like "Centre Peace."

        Gough's mellow voice is a bit like an instrument in itself -- he seems kind of timid about being in the forefront musically. He only breaks out in "Tickets To What You Need," sounding playful and charming. There are some lyrical stumbles ("And woman, I'll make you a girl"?), but most of the time he manages to wrap strangely sensitive words around the songs. "And you/were right to bide your time and not buy into my misery/Well the good things are never free..."

        Gough doesn't reach the heights of his debut album, but taken alone "Have You Fed The Fish" is a beautiful little pop classic overshadowed by the bigger classic, "Bewilderbeast."

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