listen as the wind POLLS from across the great divide: sarah mclachlan's fumbling towards ecstasy

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

it's a long way down

"fear" is the dopest shit anyone ever recorded

My favourite thing about "Plenty": the way the drums go into half-time at the beginning of the first chorus, then continue in regular time into the second chorus, as if there's been a burst of confidence... and then go into half-time when the chorus is nearly finished, as if the song's stopped in its tracks, becoming aware of what's really at stake.

I assume I voted for "Fear", but looking at the results on this thread make me feel guilty - how can "Ice" and "Wait" and the title track all have zero votes?

Oh shit.

“Wait” is such a perfect song that is probably easy to look past but that I feel only Sarah at that particular point in time could do? There’s something so... vague yet portentous about it? Love the way she slightly varies the chorus melody throughout.

But then “Ice” is just devastating. As are “Elsewhere” and the final two tracks.

― Tim F, Thursday, 5 December 2019 19:54 (two years ago) bookmarkflaglink

Just expanding on this point, the way that sometimes the melody drops on "the dream" and sometimes rises really explicates musically the idea of it being a "precious little thing" - both precious and little (or perhaps rather chimerical, fragile, a mirage). It's masterful songwriting IMO.

The only strike against “Fear” is that I’m less in love with her head voice than I wish I was

I’m listening to the live Mirrorball album now and it’s so nice to hear an organic and adult version of “Vox”

An old friend of mine always used to slap her knee and say “pristine velvet” whenever McLachlan’s name was mentioned