Sarah McLachlan: Classic, Dud, Search, Destroy, Tastes Great, Less Filling, etc...

To be clear I do think that Surfacing in particular is an excellent and very interesting record in its own right (see my discussion of it w/r/t "Lost in California" in my 2017 round-up thread).

i genuinely prefer surfacing to fumbling

it's tighter, darker, more stylish, more atmospheric, more distinctive

i've never felt otherwise

I’d say at best some of those are a draw and otherwise (darker, more atmospheric, more distinctive) those qualities are stronger on fumbling.

But then the darker songs on fumbling (in particular Wait, Plenty, Elsewhere, Ice, Fear) are basically my favourite of hers, so...

In dearness to Surfacing there is more distinction between the songs, though equally you could chalk that up to Fumbling mostly seeking to establish a sustained mood.

Meanwhile, talking about Sarah always makes me want to know whether people have listened to the first Jonatha Brooke album.

I have a few Jonatha Brooke records, my favourite is 'Back in the Circus' (the European version) tho' the first is great too, particularly 'Inconsolable' aka 'The Saddest Song Ever Written' (well, one of!).

I do like Surfacing, but obviously the ubiquity of some songs makes overcoming them a little harder. That said, "Building a Mystery" is one of her best melodies outside of FTE.

when i was a teenager i bought surfacing from a video game/used CD shop. this track was always my fav

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b57Ie6L9oy844\

i grew up with muchmusic playing her singles but never gave her the proper due, thank you all itt i will go further

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9PGl5RjXHA

Possession always kills me, i think there's a sense via the performance that there's something gauzier about the song but there is a real nightmare at the heart of it.

Into this night I wander,
It's morning that I dread,
Another day of knowing of
The path I fear to tread,
Oh, into the sea of waking dreams
I follow without pride,
Nothing stands between us here
And I won't be denied

And I would be the one
To hold you down
Kiss you so hard
I'll take your breath away
And after I'd, wipe away the tears
Just close your eyes dear

the song is heard so frequently that it's probably underrated as a horror story.

the story of how that song was written and then the consequences are even scarier to me

Surfacing is a good album but one of the unintended consequences of its success was to obscure just how dark about two thirds of Fumbling Towards Ecstasy was.

I only listened 'Fumbling Towards Ecstasy' two years ago and it was such a blessing.