Overview
In many respects, Christensen's fourth studio album is a clear break with his previous albums. Among others the mixing and mastering are performed by different people than those Christensen usually worked with. This was because he wanted to try something new. He wanted to record in a new manner, with a new co-producer and in a new studio. [4]
Christensen's first three solo albums got progressively quieter and more mature [5] [6] but this trend has come to a halt with this album being "noticeably less quiet than Superior ." [7] Christensen also announced well in advance that "the album has a lot of rock elements here and there. In general you can say that it's less acoustic and less traditional singer/songwriter-ish as last time and more outgoing and band-like," [8] He nevertheless had to fight off the expectations he is making music in line with his former band, Dizzy Mizz Lizzy, [9] with whom he had been on a reunion tour prior to recording this album. He claims to have kept Dizzy Mizz Lizzy "extremely separated" from his professional development. [10]
Previously, Christensen used to write the songs and record the bulk of instruments by himself, but this time he chose to compose and record the album with the backing band he has had since 2005, which is now named The Damn Crystals. Christensen felt that working as a team during the Superior tour had turned out very well, [11] [12] which is why he chose to invite the band members to join him throughout the entire creative process. [9] It was described as coming out of his comfort zone, letting go of control, and breaking with his ego-trip. [10] According to Christensen, "I posed myself a bit of a challenge to let others join in, but it has actually been surprisingly easy," [9] and "A totally different energy has come to this plate because we worked with four more on it. On the whole it has become so much better." [9]
Songs
A total of 12 songs were being considered for the new album. [7]
The album opens with the 11-minute progrock title track "The Damn Crystals". [12] This may be a contracted track of "Reach Out" and "Where the Wild Roses Grow", which are two song titles that appear on an alternate track listing from which the title track's name is missing. [12]
"Surprise Me" was the first single off the album, released on 24 October 2011. [11] According to Christensen, "the single might be the most classic rock-track of the bunch." [8]
"Love and Water" was originally written for Honeyburst [12] while "I'll Let You Know" was written for Christensen's first solo album Secrets on Parade but was skipped as it did not fit into that album's context. [12]
The title to "Far Beyond Driven" was borrowed from Pantera's album title Far Beyond Driven , as Christensen used it as a placeholder lyric when playing a song hook on the acoustic guitar, but was unable to find better lyrics to replace it. [13]
It was uncertain whether the ballad "Never Be One Until We're Two" would be released on this album because of the heavier sound Christensen intended to give this album. [14] The song was known to the audience because Christensen had played it on several occasions, including at Lille VEGA in Copenhagen on 16 September 2009 [15] and on a Dutch radio show on 12 November 2009. [16]
"Caught in the Arms of..." (working title: "Caught in the Eye of...") was likely to make its way onto the album. [7] An unfinished acoustic version of this song appears throughout the documentary "Tim Christensen: From Roskilde to Abbey Road", [17] and a studio version was requested by many fans. [7] The song was completed but not included on the album. On 30 November 2011, Christensen played a full version of the song before a webcam as part of his "low key late night sessions". [18]
Christensen had recorded a cover of "Distant Sun" by Crowded House for the Danish radio station DR P3. It was broadcast on 17 June 2011. [19] The song was later released on the Japanese bonus release.
Reception
One reviewer called the album "distinctly warmer, simpler, and much less pompous". [21] The most ecstatic reviewer from the tabloid paper B.T. wrote: "Not just his best album, but one of Danish rock's best (...) with one perfect pop song after the other." [20] The balance between riffs and melodies form "dynamic contrasts that adorn tremendously well, and underline what a tremendously well-playing band Tim Christensen has gathered around him." [23]
More critical review were written among others by GAFFA, who put that "the melodic curve is on a decline throughout the album," and that "Tim Christensen and The Damn Crystals is a very good rock album, but no more than that. There is simply a lack of durable tunes, which is somewhat paradoxical for an otherwise excellent melody maker." The Ekstra Bladet still views Christensen as the frontman of Dizzy Mizz Lizzy and points out in this light that "all in all, it is the young veteran's strongest solo album, but that says more about its predecessors." [26]
Swan Lee was a Danish band featuring Pernille Rosendahl on vocals. It was formed in 1996 by Rosendahl with guitarist Jonas Struck, drummer Emil Jørgensen and keyboardist Tim Christensen, who was her boyfriend at the time. The name was taken from a Syd Barrett song.
Dizzy Mizz Lizzy is an alternative rock band from Denmark formed in 1988. The power trio consists of Tim Christensen, Martin Nielsen and Søren Friis (drums). Between 1994 and 1997, they were highly successful in Denmark and Japan and are credited for heading the 1990s rock revival in Denmark with their studio albums Dizzy Mizz Lizzy (1994) and Rotator (1996). The group disbanded in 1998, after which Christensen started a successful solo career.
Dizzy Mizz Lizzy is the eponymous debut album of the Danish rock band Dizzy Mizz Lizzy, released in on 4 March 1994.
Tim Christensen is a Danish singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He is both the singer, guitarist and songwriter of the Danish band Dizzy Mizz Lizzy and a solo artists who has to date released four studio albums, two EPs and two live DVDs.
"Love Rears Its Ugly Head" is a single released by Living Colour in 1990 from their second album Time's Up.
Secrets on Parade is the debut solo album by Danish singer-songwriter Tim Christensen, released on 5 October 2000 on CD and vinyl. It is considered the transitional work between the music he made with Dizzy Mizz Lizzy and his solo music. Before its release, Christensen described the album as: "a rock album with material that is more timeless rather than time-typical [as was the case with Dizzy Mizz Lizzy] with room for solid rock, a glittery edge, and some ballads." The vinyl edition of the album was re-released through the record label Parlophone on April 19, 2014.
Honeyburst is the second studio album by Danish singer-songwriter Tim Christensen, released on 1 September 2003 on CD and vinyl. The vinyl edition of the album was re-released through the record label Parlophone on April 19, 2014.
Greatest Hits is the second greatest hits album by Danish-Norwegian pop band Aqua. The album was released on June 15, 2009 on Universal. Although it is their second greatest hits album, it is the first one to be released internationally, with Cartoon Heroes: The Best of Aqua (2002) only being released in Japan. The compilation was not released on any physical or digital format in North America. Greatest Hits includes digitally remastered versions of sixteen songs from Aqua's two previous studio albums, Aquarium (1997) and Aquarius (2000), and three new songs: "Back to the 80s", "My Mamma Said", and "Live Fast – Die Young". "Back to the 80s" was released as the album's lead single on May 25, 2009.
Rotator is the second studio album released by the Danish rock band Dizzy Mizz Lizzy, and was their final studio album before they disbanded in 1997. In 2016, however, the band continued and released a new studio album entitled Forward in Reverse.
"Sunrise" is a song by the Danish dance-pop duo Infernal. It was released as the second single from their second studio album, Waiting for Daylight, in 2000. The song samples the 1994 song "Silverflame" from the Danish alternative rock band Dizzy Mizz Lizzy.
The Best of Dizzy Mizz Lizzy is a greatest hits album released by the Danish rock band Dizzy Mizz Lizzy in 2002. The first disc contains tracks from the band's two studio albums Dizzy Mizz Lizzy and Rotator, the second disc holds a live registration of a concert held in Aarhus on 11 May 1996. After its release, it immediately reached gold status.
Dizzcography is a box set released in 2010, containing all previously released material by the Danish rock band Dizzy Mizz Lizzy. The name is a portmanteau of "Dizzy" and "discography". The CD version is collected in a black printed cardboard box as four Digipak CDs and a 40-page booklet. The box set was also released in a limited press on 8 double-sided vinyl records. The box set contains the following albums:
Live in Concert 2010 is a 19-song live recording of two concerts at the K.B. Hallen on 16–17 April 2010, by the Danish power rock band Dizzy Mizz Lizzy. It was released on 8 November 2010 as 2CD/DVD and 2CD/Blu-ray. In Japan, it was released on 27 April on King Records. and includes a sticker sheet and liner notes by Masa Ito.
Live at Abbey Road Studios 2004 is a live 2CD and limited edition DVD/2CD and vinyl record by Danish singer-songwriter Tim Christensen, released in 2004. It is the first officially released live solo recording of Christensen. The DVD appeared only in limited numbers and is now a rare item.
Megalomania is the third studio album by Danish-Norwegian band Aqua. It was released on October 3, 2011 by Universal Music Group and WaterWorks, over 11 years after the release of their second studio album, Aquarius (2000). The album peaked at number two in Denmark and was certified gold by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI).
Pure McCartney is a live DVD/CD and DVD/2-LP album by singer-songwriters Tim Christensen, Mike Viola, and Tracy Bonham, with the band The Damn Crystals, released in 2013.
Side Effects is an EP by the Danish singer-songwriters Mads Langer and Tim Christensen, released on July 19, 2014 through RCA and Sony Music Denmark. The EP was awarded the "Danish rock album of the year", while the collaboration garnered the duo a GAFFA Award for "Danish rock band of the year".
The Storm is a Danish rock band formed in 2006 by Pernille Rosendahl and Johan Wohlert which are to date the only permanent members of the band.
Forward in Reverse is the third studio album by the Danish rock band Dizzy Mizz Lizzy, released on 13 April 2016 in Japan and on 29 April 2016 worldwide by Columbia Records. It is the band's first studio album with new material in 20 years.
Livegasm! is a 15-song live album by the Danish power rock band Dizzy Mizz Lizzy, released on 29 November 2017 in Japan, and on 8 December 2017 in Denmark on double vinyl and as digital album on Columbia Records. It instantly became the best sold vinyl record in Denmark in 2017.
