The Innocence Mission

1. Paper Dolls

2. Black Sheep Wall

3. Surreal

4. Curious

5. Clear to You

6. Mercy

7. Broken Circle

8. I Remember Me

9. You Chase the Light

10. Notebook

11. Come Around and See Me

12. Wonder of Birds

13. Medjugorje

The Innocence Mission,The Innocence Mission,A&M,Adult Alternative Pop/Rock,Popular Music,Rock,Singer/Songwriter

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Average customer rating: 2007's Best Recording.....so far Stable as a rock, quiet as a whisper Good album but not the best by the Innocence Mission Songs of Unity and Friendship Holy

We Walked in Song The Innocence Mission Manufacturer: Badman Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Singer-Songwriters | Pop | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Adult Alternative | Pop | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Similar Items: These Friends of Mine Now the Day Is Over Glow Befriended Birds of My Neighborhood ASIN: B000M7FO8Y Release Date: 2007-03-13

Tracks:

1. Brotherhood Of Man
2. Happy Birthday
3. Love That Boy
4. Into Brooklyn, Early In The Morning
5. Lake Shore Drive
6. Song For Tom
7. Since I Still Tell You My Every Day
8. A Wave Is Rolling
9. Colors Of The World
10. Over The Moon
11. My Sisters Return From Ireland

Amazon.com

The Innocence Mission started out as something of a shoegazer band in the late 1990s, but midway through their life they've taken on an even more introspective and intimate tone. Like guitarist Don Peris's solo album, Go When the Morning Shineth, this sounds like it could have been recorded in somebody's parlor a century ago, with just Mike Bitts on basses and Karen and Don Peris on guitars and keyboards. And when I say keyboards, I don't mean synthesizers, but pump organs, Hammond organs, and piano, the instruments of bygone years. They often hover like dusty ghosts in the background of songs that read like diary entries. The most modern this album gets is a quaint, late '50s pop-ballad ambience on tunes like "Lake Shore Drive" and "Love That Boy," which sound like something Sandra Dee or Debbie Reynolds' would have sung--although they would never have allowed the fractured vulnerability revealed by Karen Peris. She has a voice with the fragility and sadness of a fallen autumn leaf, often intentionally breaking at the edges of her range. But We Walked in Song isn't an album of sadness--rather of quiet joy and peace of mind. The husband-and-wife team of Karen and Don Peris have been together since they were in high school, and most of Karen's songs reflect on their lives, relationships, and children. We Walked in Song isn't an album that leaps out and grabs you: it's a diary of autumnal moods that celebrates the small moments in life, and like life, quietly insinuates itself into yours. --John Diliberto

Customer Reviews:

2007's Best Recording.....so far.......2007-07-07

The Innocence Mission have evolved to greatness. Starting with "Birds of my Neighborhood" the band took their "mission" in a new direction and began to document their personal lives in song with only minimal heartfelt musical arrangements. "Befriended" was indeed another triumph for the band and Karen Peris' lyrics took on new dimension and depth -- each song carefully crafted to evoke delicate emotion around joy, hope, and loss. "We Walked in Song" picks right up. The Peris' children are growing up and it is reported Karen Peris lost her father and it is all documented beautifully here in song -- "beautiful life, full of grieving" on one of the recordings best tracks "Into Brooklyn, Early in the Morning" sums up the skills of Peris' songwriting which always captures joy's partner, sorrow. The contribution of Don Peris can't be overlooked or minimized in any way for his guitar playing supports these beautiful lyrics is a way that can't be described but must be heard. "Lake Shore Drive" is vintage IM with the lyric "It seems the right time, to let go of the steep incline, of this day and to know you're mine, forever and I will be fine." All wrapped up in Don Peris gorgeous shimmering guitar playing. Hopefully fans will be lucky to hear from this band for years to come.

Stable as a rock, quiet as a whisper.......2007-07-01

Zo'n 3,5 jaar na Befriended is - afgezien van het kinderslaapliedjesalbum Now the Day Is Over (2004) - er nu We Walked In Song , waarop Karen Peris opnieuw 11 zelfgeschreven, herkenbare luisterliedjes zingt, manlief Don gitaar speelt en de spaarzame drums en het orgel erbij sleept en Mike Bitts de bas beroert.

Ten opzichte van vroegere albums als Glow is de muziek van meer art-folk/rocky al jaren teruggebracht tot krachtige eenvoud. Werd Karen Peris' vocalen en muziek in de beginjaren nogal eens vergeleken met Karen Bergquist's Over The Rhine , gaat de analogie niet meer op. Waar Befriended in het licht van het heengaan van Karens moeder stond, verhaalt We Walked in Song het verlies van haar vader (Brotherhood of Man, Over The Moon) en de liefde voor haar kinderen (Happy Birthday, Love That Boy). Introspecties over ontmoetingen, reizen, afscheid, terugkeer (My Sisters Return from Ireland, Into Brooklyn Early In The Morning, Since I Still Tell You My Every Day, A Wave Is Rolling). Peris & Bitts zullen nooit een slecht album maken; een kritische noot is het gebrek aan muzikale progressie. Muzikaal zijn de albums inwisselbaar, positief gesteld: zo klinkt de band!

Good album but not the best by the Innocence Mission.......2007-06-01

The Innocence Mission is one of those groups that, on certain occasion, I find their sound flawless (namely 'Birds of my Neighborhood'), which is why it was something of a let-down to hear the tracks of 'We Walked In Song'. While the songs are, as to be expected, beautiful, lyrically-rich and enjoyable to listen to, these songs just didn't blow me away as much as some of their earlier albums have. Just my 2 cents.

Songs of Unity and Friendship.......2007-05-29

Without a doubt, this is the Innocence Mission's most homogenic work to date. All of the songs are in the same mode, carry a similar tone, blend melodically and stylistically. Listen to the lyrics: Every single one of these songs is about Unity, or Friendship, or both.

Though the Innocence Mission really -can- rock out when they want to do so (e.g., Black Sheep Wall on their eponymous 1980s release), they CHOOSE not to in this offering. The orchestrations are simple, in line with past works Small Planes and Befriended. Karen Peris is largely unaccompanied, making much of the album feel like a delicious, confessional solo. If one were forced to name the music genre encapsulating all the tracks on this CD, it would be 'Folk'--and that would be correct, albeit an oversimplification. Nuanced and subtle, these songs are mellow in the extreme, but very surprising. How can that be?

The prior release from The Innocence Mission, Now The Day Is Over, was also very laid back. However, those tracks were Lullabies--one EXPECTS them to be serene and inspire a soporific effect. By contrast, these hymns to friendship and unity are completely unusual and unexpected. The beauty of this set includes Karen Peris' clear-as-a-bell intonations of the lyrics. One need not refer to the liner notes, to discern the unusually-selected, poetic words and phrases comprising these songs. A careful listen is all it takes--and the reward is immense. How can songs so gentle, so peaceful, surprise and delight the ears?

Take a listen for yourself--you will be surprised at your thoughts, blossoming in response.

Holy.......2007-04-02

Who is this goddess prophetess who heralds freeway tears and renders me nostalic and yearning?
Is her skin as smooth as her soul?
How is it possible to hear a smile through a subaru speaker?
Who is this siren who emotes such warm, deep, light, devastating, perfect, melodious affirmations?
Does she even have a pancreas? Does she ear cheerios -- honey nut? Did she ever pass through Eugene, Oregon, in the 1990s?
The songs are like embers of bones from whales who are still in love.
The songs are like youthful attributes to birds that congregate on the heads of dead poets in little parks full of leaves and roots.
Something strange tells me that this woman is as beautiful as her music.

Average customer rating: years later, this is stil my summer time record ::: Inspiring and Calming Mellow-in a good sense One Of The Best Albums of All Time Warm Glow

Glow The Innocence Mission Manufacturer: Fontana a&M ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Folk | Styles | Music General | Pop | Styles | Music Singer-Songwriters | Pop | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Adult Alternative | Pop | Styles | Music Folk Rock | Rock | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Similar Items: Befriended Birds of My Neighborhood Now the Day Is Over Small Planes We Walked in Song ASIN: B000002G38 Release Date: 1995-06-06

Tracks:

1. Keeping Awake
2. Bright As Yellow
3. Brave
4. That Was Another Country
5. Speak Our Minds
6. Happy, The End
7. Our Harry
8. Go
9. Everything's Different Now
10. Spinning
11. There
12. I Hear You Say So

Amazon.com

Karen Peris is a vocal ringer for Natalie Merchant (though there's also the faintest hint of Bjork in her delivery), and the band is unfailingly tuneful in acoustic guitar-piano mode. Hypnotic, slow-paced gems abound, notably "Everything's Different Now" (not the Aimee Mann song), "That Was Another Country," and "Bright as Yellow." --Jeff Bateman

Customer Reviews:

years later, this is stil my summer time record :::.......2007-06-01

on this very perfect record they transitioned with huge growth from the Ritalin-dream where the lyrics were not understandable to the middle-state of dream-folk.

the album tells a panoramic story beginning by getting tucked into bed and follows through with child-like anticipation of comings and goings... and it is part of the soundtrack of my life.

Inspiring and Calming.......2006-11-10

I love this cd! all of their discs are great and the innocense mision is always on top of my playlist.

Mellow-in a good sense.......2006-11-04

I recently purchased the CD version of this album,replacing the cassette I had played frequently,especially when my children were younger.GLOW was the Innocence Mission's stab at the brass ring of mass-market success.Produced by Peter Asher,of Peter and Gordon and producer of Linda Ronstadt and James Taylor in their pop primes,this is a pleasant enough collection of simple,mood-setting tunes sung by Karen Peris in a sweet but oddly accented voice.Although they didn't steal the hearts of America,these songs with their snapshot emotional images will tug at yours if you give them half a chance-HAPPY,THE END,with its moments of bliss narrative ,always gets me.

One Of The Best Albums of All Time.......2006-04-07

I have never found better music anywhere. Brilliant simplicity, beauty found nowhere else, innocence for sure, and the desire and happiness in life that exudes from this music: it's unmatchable. I highly recommend it as one of the top albums of our time. Karen's voice is stunning, the guitar work is outstanding, everything flows and leaves me always wanting more. This album has been a favorite of mine for ten years and I still love it as I did when I first got it. It definitely GLOWS.

Warm Glow.......2006-02-17

I'm so glad I picked up this album. It's just the right spice when you need to hear something soothing and uplifting. Fans of The Sunday's will enjoy this recording.

Average customer rating: Innocence Mission is an appropriate name Sickenly too sweet absolutely love this album I Love You, Innocence Mission. works beautifully

Now the Day Is Over The Innocence Mission Manufacturer: Badman Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Folk | Styles | Music Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music General | Pop | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Adult Alternative | Pop | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music General | Children's Music | Styles | Music Lullabies | Children's Music | Styles | Music Similar Items: Befriended Glow We Walked in Song Birds of My Neighborhood Small Planes ASIN: B0002ZMJ4I Release Date: 2004-11-09

Tracks:

1. Stay Awake
2. Over The Rainbow
3. What A Wonderful World
4. Moon River
5. Somewhere A Star Shines For Everyone
6. Prelude In A
7. Once Upon A Summertime
8. My Love Goes With You
9. Edelweiss
10. Sonata No.8
11. Bye-Lo
12. It Is Well With My Soul
13. Now The Day Is Over

Amazon.com

The Innocence Mission have, over the course of a decade, created a half dozen albums which celebrate small pleasures, fragile details and the wistful edges of life. As the title suggests, Now the Day Is Over offers a set of lullabies. The dozen covers and one original were not all written as bedtime reveries, but it's a testament to the graceful nuances Don and Karen Peris that such a familiar song as "What A Wonderful World" can bring out the twinkling stars of nighttime with heartfelt purity. Free of embellishments, either internal or studio created, Karen's vocals are at once magical and direct. The trio has done much more than to simply streamline or slow down these selections, they've found the core of each number and built around it only that which is necessary. -- David Greenberger

Customer Reviews:

Innocence Mission is an appropriate name.......2007-06-02

Not the worst cd I have and certainly not offensive. However, lacks depth, character, and content. Could be good for the kids. Bought it because I fell in love with a track I heard on Radio Paradise. Overall I could have spent the money in other ways.

Sickenly too sweet.......2007-05-12

I am new to the Innocence Mission. We have a one year old baby, so a friend gave us this CD as a gift. For me, Karen Peris's voice has the "nails across the blackboard" effect on me. She has no range and her voice is cloying. I am not expecting rock 'n roll or anything like that, but I just cannot find anything attractive in her voice. She absolutely "Somewhere Over the Rainbow," a classic and a song that I want to associate with my relatively unspoiled childhood. Oh well, different strokes for different folks.

absolutely love this album.......2007-01-12

I play this album as part of my daughter's bedtime routine. I absolutely LOVE it. Has such a beautiful calmness to it. And as I sit their rocking with my daughter before I put her in her crib, it often brings both smiles to my face and tears to my eyes.

I Love You, Innocence Mission........2007-01-04

In the winter of '89-'90, I picked up The Innocence Mission's eponymous debut on cassette one evening in a mall in Muncie. During my solitary rural Indiana backroads return to Taylor Univ., I was introduced to the delightfully solid intangibility of these troubadours of Heart, Soul, and Mind. I wanted Don and Karen Peris to mother and father me, or to marry Karen, or to be a brother or sister of one, to experience in my life the meaningful connections that in song resonated on and strong without dwindling into the inevitable nihilism that so much of art does nowadays. (Soon realized they were Catholic Universalists or something like that.)Fan for life.

And so, I kept up with their oeuvre. Enjoying the experimental phases of beauty along with the return to simple folk beauty. "Bright as Yellow", on "Glow", piqued the world's interest on the "Empire Records" soundtrack. They toured at least a little with Lilith Fair one year. I found later they've done a blatantly spiritual album "Christ Is My Hope", and that Don (genius of guitar understatement/suggestion) has a couple of his own albums out. I still need to get those 3.

Anyway, the idea of a lullaby album from The Innocence Mission is so perfectly obvious that I never expected it. I mean, she sang songs to her "Someday Coming Child" (on "Umbrella") years before she birthed!

It is as perfect as it could be. Minimal in performance, maximal in effect. (With 3 little boys, I'm a connoisseur of artfully-lulling lullaby albums. Get the Disney Lullaby Album too--no, really--Greg Diakun and Fred Mollin create real art right under DisneyCorp's nose.)

Finally, Karen can sing me to sleep--and my family too.

works beautifully.......2006-10-18

I am a mother of twins and this CD was given to us as a gift. My babies fell asleep to this time after time and it was pleasant listening for both mom and dad. I plan on giving this as a gift to all my new parent friends.

Average customer rating: An Interesting Project By A Silent Witness Band Happy Dance peace, distilled. hope, too, maybe. Best Example of Group's Thematic Concerns Amazing

Befriended The Innocence Mission Manufacturer: Badman Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Folk | Styles | Music General | Pop | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Adult Alternative | Pop | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Similar Items: Glow Now the Day Is Over Small Planes Birds of My Neighborhood We Walked in Song ASIN: B0000A1HSG Release Date: 2003-09-02

Tracks:

1. Tomorrow On The Runway
2. When Mac Was Swimming
3. I Never Knew You From The Sun
4. Beautiful Change
5. Martha Avenue Love Song
6. One For Sorrow, Two For Joy
7. No Storms Come
8. Sweep Down Early
9. Walking Around
10. Look For Me As You Go By

Album Description

A haunting collection of ten songs that features the interplay of Don's gorgeously warm and shimmering electric guitars with Karen's transcendently lovely vocals and moving lyrics. Digipak. Badman 2003.

Customer Reviews:

An Interesting Project By A Silent Witness Band.......2007-05-14

I first discovered Innocence Mission in 1992, when I saw their five song '86 EP at a thrift store, and enjoyed it. A couple of years later, I heard one song, "And Hiding Away", from a more recent project. On those songs, lead singer Karen Peris sounded like a young girl. This project came out in 2003, 17 years after that first project. Karen's picture makes her look like she's in her late 30's. But her voice sounds as young as ever. (Note--Don Peris does the final song, "Look For Me As You Go By".)

Innocence Mission has managed to maintain a balance of not sounding Christian enough lyrically to scare off unbelievers, but with enough imagery to show the presence of their faith. For example, Amy Grant saw something in one of the songs from the above mentioned EP, "Shadows", and included it on her 1988 project "Lead Me On".

Those who have read my reviews know I can be tough on the content of lyrics of Christian singers. After all, being a Christian for over a quarter of a century, I want songs that build me up spiritually on the music in my collection. Innocence Mission is not overtly Christian, but they never had been. I only heard the one song ("And Hiding Away") on Christian radio, on a program that also included Collective Soul's "Shine" on their play-list. Therefore, I'm more tolerant with them than those who start out marketing their projects to Christians (e.g. Sixpence None The Richer, former band of Leigh Nash).

My favorite tracks on this project are "Tomorrow On The Runway", "When Mac Was Swimming", "Beautiful Change", "One For Sorrow, Two For Joy", "Sweep Down Early", and "Walking Around".

Happy Dance.......2006-11-10

The song Tomorrow on the Runway made me smile. I'm not sure what it is but it makes me do a little happy dance and giggle. Definitely good-mood music.

peace, distilled. hope, too, maybe........2006-05-12

This album is perhaps the most comforting album I own. That's the overwhelming impression I get from it; I'm surprised to find that not everyone agrees.

If I were to tell you about the words, I would mention the changes that show up all through the album, the changes that have already happened ("The flowers that grew, the things that happened since the day you came"--from "When Mac Was Swimming"; "Beautiful changes I've seen sometimes"--from "Walking Around") but maybe even more importantly, the changes that are just around the corner in a number of songs. A "Beautiful Change" could come anytime. An eschatological things-are-going-to-be-alright tomorrow is coming in "Tomorrow on the Runway" and "Sweep Down Early." The album claims these changes with pretty certain confidence, like prayers. All these changes are going to come. "Every burden shall be lifted" ("Look For Me As You Go By"), etc. Then sometimes the change is already here. "The snow is here. The light is bright" ("Beautiful Change"). Another of my favourite lines: "You know I've had enough of this trouble following me high and low. Now it can go." Just simply, like that, there it goes. The album prophesies and celebrates beautiful changes all over the place. Things might be bad now, but they are getting better, and resurrection imagery throughout helps that impression. Something bad might have to happen, like death, but then things will get better.

If I were to tell you about the music, which I'm infinitely less qualified to do, I would mention that the music is contemplative. It does not particularly invite the body to move, but to be still while the mind/soul/whathaveyou drinks in the beauty of Karen Peris's voice and the melody lines. While the lyrics are telling you that God, for instance, is causing and going to cause beautiful things, the music is giving beautiful things to you as well without you having to do a whole lot of physical work to climb into them.

I haven't had a nasty shock since I purchased this album a few months ago; nobody I love has died or gone on some disastrous self-destructive bender, and nothing particularly unpleasant has happened to me either. But if I'd had a shock, I suspect these would be the songs I'd reach for.

Best Example of Group's Thematic Concerns.......2006-03-16

With every release, The Innocence Mission gives voice to the yearnings within the human spirit that grip us all. This primary theme is perhaps no more evident than on their 2003 album Befriended. The yearnings expressed are fundamentally ones for change: to be better than we are, and, more specifically, more innocent than we are. This is the "mission" of the band. Lead singer/songwriter Karen Paris is always caught up between the sorrow and/or temporary joy of the moment and the greater joy of what lies ahead. For this reason, they probably have never given a song a title that more sums up their thematic concern than "One for Sorrow, Two for Joy." The Innocence Mission often dives deeply into melancholy, make no mistake about it. Still, that melancholy is always tempered by a joy of possibilities in the future, even if the present situation is hard.

The album opens with "Tomorrow on the Runway," a song with the memorable singsong chorus, "Did you leave the darkness without me?/You're always miles ahead/And you're standing in tomorrow on the runway." Evidently, Karen has said that this song was inspired by her child(ren?), but the lyrics suggest that another person is in view. It's hard to imagine her child(ren) saying the quote in the first verse:"'While my heart is sinking I do not want my voice/To go out in the air.'" Perhaps Karen's mother, the late Mary McCullough, is in view as well as her child(ren); the album and one song are specifically dedicated to her, and evidently it's her picture that adorns the credit page of the album. In this case, Mary's death and subsequent resurrection (an assumption I'm making based on the group's Roman Catholic faith) provide the imagery here: "the darkness" is this current life, and "tomorrow on the runway" is heaven. Other interpretations are possible, though.

In any case, the third verse of this song provides a standard Innocence Mission yearning: "Oh, I want to fly, fly forward into the light,/Be alive, to come alive." This heartfelt desire for spiritual transformation is found not only throughout the album ("Beautiful Change," "Sweep Down Early," "Walking Around") but previous albums as well (see, e.g., almost all of Glow, "Wonder of Birds" off of the band's debut album, etc.). In The Innocence Mission's worldview, change is always difficult; even when progress gets made, further advances are always out of reach. Seasonally, we are mostly in winter ("I Never Knew You from the Sun," "Beautiful Change," "Martha Avenue Love Song," "One for Sorrow, Two for Joy"), but we wait for spring. Karen gives us nature and Christian resurrection imagery in abundance, and pleas for change to come soon: "Flower forth, and soon, branch of Easter" ("Beautiful Change"); "Flower forth, all you branches of Easter" ("Sweep Down Early"); "The flowers that grew, the things that happened/Since the day you came" ("When Mac Was Swimming").

But this waiting is not easy. It requires that we "stand ever firmly, love" ("One for Sorrow, Two for Joy") against the "trouble" that threatens to overwhelm us ("Walking Around"). We must believe that we are loved ("When Mac Was Swimming") and have faith that the sun will break through the clouds. (The sun is a recurring image in nearly every song on this album.) To wait, successfully, we need friends to hold us up ("Look for Me as You Go By").

But when we lose our friends, what do we do? The speaker on this album has lost her closest friend, her mother ("I Never Knew You from the Sun"), but still lives in hope, even "when there is so much time to miss you" ("Walking Around"). This hope is partially possible because we experience change even in the middle of doing ordinary things, such as washing the dishes ("Walking Around"). And hope lets us know that, sometime in the future, "we will go somewhere" ("Sweep Down Early") and "fly" ("Tomorrow on the Runway").

This album is, in many ways, incredible. You won't find many songs more beautiful than "Martha Avenue Love Song," with its chiming guitar. You'll scarcely find a lyric more moving and heartbreaking than "Sweep down early, Tomorrow, come./Ring out. Tell me you have arrived./I will kiss all the faces of my beloved ones." (That song, "Sweep Down Early," gets my vote for best Innocence Mission song.)

I have two concerns about this superlative album. First, while the spare arrangements on this album are wonderful, I miss the fuller sound of the group heard in the band's first few albums. While the band has been dropped by A&M and undoubtedly has a smaller production budget, it would be wonderful to see what someone like Glow producer Dennis Herring, or even the band's first producer, Larry Klein, would have done with this material. Second, this album is, of all the Innocence Mission albums I have (and I don't yet quite have them all), by far the most melancholic one. ("I Never Knew You from the Sun" is so sad that it's particularly difficult for me to listen to.) It lacks the more even balance of melancholy and joy found in The Innocence Mission, Glow, and Christ Is My Hope (although I hear that the soon-to-be-back-in-print Birds of My Neighborhood is more melancholic than this album). For this reason, it took me a while to appreciate it as much as I do now.

Anyone who loves excellent artistry should buy this album, and indeed, anything in The Innocence Mission's catalog.

Amazing.......2005-09-11

Rarely that you'll encounter an album worth listening from start to finish. This is one CD you shouldn't miss. No matter what music style you prefer. It's simply amazing. Best tracks: When Mac was Swimming (well-crafted) and One for sorrow, two for joy.

Average customer rating: Quiet Brilliance A wonderful stand out album.

Birds of My Neighborhood The Innocence Mission Manufacturer: Badman Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Folk | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Adult Alternative | Pop | Styles | Music Similar Items: Befriended Glow Small Planes We Walked in Song Now the Day Is Over ASIN: B000ENC7AO Release Date: 2006-04-11

Tracks:

1. Where Does The Time Go?
2. Snow
3. Follow Me
4. The Lakes Of Canada
5. You Are The Light
6. Birdless
7. I Haven't Seen This Day Before
8. She May Turn Around
9. I Was In The Air
10. July
11. Going Away
12. Green Grass, Red Tree

Customer Reviews:

Quiet Brilliance.......2006-06-04

Many of my favorite artists are in the midst of re-releasing remastered discs -- Cocteau Twins, Siouxsie and the Banshees, the Cure, Depeche Mode, Peter Gabriel, etc. The results certainly improve the record, but so far it has not awakened anything new for me in the work.

This has changed with the release of the Innocence Mission's "Birds of my Neighborhood". The original release was the first without the band's drummer, and took on a far more acoustic and intimate sound than their earlier recordings. However, the remastering done here brings it to a new level. The guitars and vocal are clean and crisp, sounding as if the trio is playing in your living room. You can hear clearly the sounds of a home-made recording, which draws the listener in even further than the initial release.

This album is a joy to listen to, and it gives me hope that earlier Innocence Mission albums will see the same treatment and return to market. Do not let this release go by!

A wonderful stand out album........2006-04-13

One of the innocence mission's strongest albums. There are so many great songs on this CD. And it does sound wonderful in this re-issued, remastered version. A must have for fans of the melancholy- in that it also delivers hope.

Average customer rating: Beautiful voice, beautiful music, lyrics need work incredible rediscovery Sparkling Folk-Pop Sublime This CD blew me away

The Innocence Mission The Innocence Mission Manufacturer: A&M ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Pop | Styles | Music Singer-Songwriters | Pop | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Adult Alternative | Pop | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Similar Items: Umbrella Small Planes Glow We Walked in Song Befriended ASIN: B000002GIO Release Date: 1989-08-24

Tracks:

1. Paper Dolls
2. Black Sheep Wall
3. Surreal
4. Curious
5. Clear To You
6. Mercy
7. Broken Circle
8. I Remember Me
9. You Chase The Light
10. Notebook
11. Come Around And See Me
12. Wonder Of Birds
13. Medjuborje

Customer Reviews:

Beautiful voice, beautiful music, lyrics need work.......2007-03-28

This is a CD I would have love if I discovered Innocence Mission as a teenager. As an engaged woman in my late 20s, I find the lyrics to be quite childish. Medjugorje is simplistic- the lyrics could have demonstrated a child-like trust in GOD, rather, they reflect a third grader's interpretation of the pilgrimage. I just can't relate to the other songs. I Remember Me is probably the best, lyrics- wise.

incredible rediscovery.......2006-12-09

This album is a masterpiece. It stands the test of time. I was a young and angry man when I first bought this cassette tape, it was one of the first beautiful things that resonated with me. I'm not sure why I chose it, I bought it when it was released. Years passed, musical avenues opened, and tapes were packed away and forgotten. I stumbled across a mention of IM, and wondered what they were up to. I listened to some samples of their newer songs, later buying some and falling in love with melancholy songs like Migration, Lakes of Canada, and Where Does the Time Go. I came to amazon and played snippets of the songs on this album, their debut. Immediately the impact was as strong as it was years ago, and I rooted through all of the packed away stuff I had because I had to listen to those songs NOW. I am now more than a week into the rediscovery of this, in my opinion, one of the best albums from anyone, ever. I can't believe how good it is.

I am an atheist and a huge fan of very hard, intense music, yet this touches me as few things ever have. Joni Mitchell comes close, but Karen Peris' voice in combination with her lyrics are an incredibly poignant combination, and none more so than the songs on this collection. For anyone who finds that there is beauty in melancholy, check out this album. Inspiration like this is a rare and gorgeous thing.

Sparkling Folk-Pop.......2005-04-19

I was lucky enough to find this little treasure at a flea market for only five measly dollars. Being that it was my first exposure to the Innocence Mission (I had heard great things about them), I had hoped for the best and I was pleasantly surprised to discover that everything I had heard was true and that IM is truly a band to fall in love with.

The Peris duo have made some of the most beautifully wondrous, sometimes sad music over the past decade and a half and this self-titled debut is possibly THE best example of which. Tracks such as "I Remember Me" and "Mercy" are easily memorable, combining folksy charm with pop sensibility. Still clinging a bit to the soon-to-fade 80's hooky sound, the other tracks sound as lively as light, folk songs could sound.

This release may throw off listeners who have either begun their exploration with later releases or have started with this album and have progressed by buying more recent albums. What I've personally found is that albums such as "Befriended," though beautiful in its own right, aren't as memorable as this one. Because the self-titled debut is catchy and musically varied, other albums seem a little boring and almost forgettable. "Befriended" is a precious album, though it can be tedious and sleepy.

"The Innocence Mission" is a beginning of something great and though the band's sound has lightened up and pigeonholed itself solely into the realm of indie-folk pop, this debut should still amaze and intrigue listeners.

Sublime.......2004-06-26

This is still probably the most moving, most vulnerable album I've ever heard. From the reviews here, it sounds like others have had the same experience. It's been years since I've sat and just listened to this music, but I remember powerful emotion from it, both for myself and for others with whom I shared it. Profound sadness from songs like "You Chase the Light" . Transcendent hope in "The Wonder of Birds" . A friend crying at "Black Sheep Wall", feeling her relationship with her brother. The instrumental music a perfect backdrop for Karen Peris' haunting, innocent voice.

I haven't listened to anything after "Umbrella", which wasn't as powerful for me as "The Innocence Mission", but the reviews here pique my interest to try out some of the more recent material.

This CD blew me away.......2004-03-26

I'll never forget the day I first heard this album 15 years ago. I'd caught the video for "Wonder of Birds" on VH1 and it sparked an interest in getting the CD. From the very first note, this album just made me quiver inside. IM is not a band for everyone, but if your inner self is on the same plane as they are, their music will grip you like no other band will.

Average customer rating: Charming A timeless classic This is THE CD for deep thoughtful reflection Too religious for commercial viability, but excellent A Band That Lives Up To It's Name

Umbrella The Innocence Mission Manufacturer: A&M ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Pop | Styles | Music Singer-Songwriters | Pop | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Adult Alternative | Pop | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Similar Items: Small Planes Glow We Walked in Song Befriended Birds of My Neighborhood ASIN: B000002GJQ Release Date: 1991-07-23

Tracks:

1. And Hiding Away
2. Sorry And Glad Together
3. Umbrella
4. Every Hour Here
5. Evensong
6. Now In This Hush
7. Beginning The World
8. Flags
9. Someday Coming
10. Joan
11. Revolving Man
12. My Waltzing Days Are Over

Customer Reviews:

Charming.......2007-05-08

A second cup of grace provides growth, maturity, and confidence for the Innocence Mission: a band too few have recognized as a truly great core of musicians -- creating art while advancing a Christ-like steadiness through the sweet noise of music. The early phase of exploitation is captured by A&M: these years are exceptionally deserving. While the self-titled album is a classic unto itselfI feel it lacks some maturity compared to Umbrella which by the way uncorked a fresh audience: a fan base greatly devoted, known as Missionaries. The most cherished, and exceedingly visible pearls are:
A. Every Hour Here
B. Sorry And Glad Together
C. Flags
D. And Hiding Away

All tracks, every one, transcend pop or folk rock: as the lyrics are communicating a worldview that is inclusive, encouraging, and in all directions charming. Some may feel the disc is overproduced: in my view it is not. I feel the Glow while top-notch, is slightly less effective when compared to Umbrella. Umbrella is like a journey in which, we discover a warm friendship, accompanying a few of lifes ups and Downs along the way. Umbrella can cover with beauty, what more can listeners ask?

Karen Peris sings in an easily perceptible manner and feelingly plus, the drums are put on display, unlike the more recent releases: it seems the band is customarily without a drummer these days.

If you like good music, Umbrella is a delicacy, and you should possess it to complete your music collection. It was my introduction to the band: let it be yours

-- Rich Young

A timeless classic.......2006-03-25

The second offering of the Innocence Mission brings further evidence of the hauntingly beautiful voice of Karen Peris. This early A&M realease while still somewhat (produced sounding) compared to her latest indie releases possesses that intangible combination of melancholy and hope combined with Ms. Peris' breathtaking vocal quality make umbrella a must have.
Largely forgotten and overshadowed by the more commercial "glow" CD, newcomers to the Innocence Mission would do well to start with umbrella. Sadly A&M chose not to add Umbrella to their current catalouge. However, it can still be found at this site and at the Gemm site. A highly recommended and underrated classic.

This is THE CD for deep thoughtful reflection.......2004-03-26

If I had to keep one CD in my collection of over 200, it would likely be this one(and if not, it would surely be another by IM). It's not the band's favorite, but it has an amazing quality about it. I cannot listen to this simply as background music...it has my complete attention whenever I play it. It best complements quiet times, drives in the country, or bringing me out of the doldrums. Top quality music!!!

Too religious for commercial viability, but excellent.......2002-04-30

It appears as if Karen Peris' eldest brother's {Alex McCullough's} marriage (as discussed on the sublime "Curious") resulted in a marked strengthening of her faith. Unlike "The Innocence Mission", where Peris' Catholicism is only apparent in patches, this album is full of explicit religious imagery all through. This reaches a peak on "Every Hour Here", which is almost a hymn to the love of Jesus, and in such lines as "A halo round me - like Our Lady", "O bless us/So we give our hearts so far", and "God, He gave me a brave heart/But God, He gave me a chicken head".
Given that this album was released at a time when gangsta rap and grunge were emerging to dominate the popular market, it was hardly surprising that something so diametrically opposed to gangsta rap's rebelliousness should completely fail to sell.
Yet, Karen Peris, who likens performing on stage to the early Christians thrown to the lions at the Colloseum in Rome, clearly wanted to show she was a distinctive artist not only for her religious piety.
Moving away from the somehat muted sound of her debut, she was still able to craft an excellent set of pop songs, tuneful and melodic yet still beautiful. Larry Klein continues to provide an excellent ground for Peris' angelic voice. Though some of the songs, such as the title song and "Sorry and Glad Together", barely got going, "And Hiding Away", "Evensong", "Now In This Hush" and "Someday Coming" were near-flawless tunes that were unfortunately overlooked. And the finale, "My Waltzing Days Are Over/Minta's Waltz" was one of the few medleys in pop music that actually works.
Though I will be hated by student radicals for saying this, I think this album should be given a serious listen, if not being as brilliant, accesible or influential as the debut.

A Band That Lives Up To It's Name.......2002-01-29

The Innocence Mission is one of my favorite bands, and, though it's hard to choose, Umbrella is probably my favorite album by them. In an age that seems to prize the vulgar, ugly, stupid, crass, noisy, overhyped and famous, they make music that is graceful, beautiful, thoughtful, reflective, and that celebrates the goodness of faith and of normal, everyday life. The sound is comprized primarily of Don Peris's sometimes swirling and lush, sometimes sparse and delicate guitars, and the lilting, almost elfin voice of wife Karen. These combine with a solid rythm section of drums and bass to create songs that are sometimes explosive burst of joy ("And Hiding Away"), sometimes driving and anthemic ("Now In This Hush"), and sometimes hushed and quiet ("Someday Coming" and "Revolving Man"). Some songs also feature a piano as the primary instrumental accompaniment, ("My Waltzing Days Are Over" and the title track). The lyrics tend towards reflections and affirmations on the joys, trials, worries and goodness of everyday life in songs like "Sorry and Glad Together", "Evensong", and "Revolving Man", or religious reflections in songs like "Every Hour Here" and "Now in this Hush". Karen also write about her own inner struggles and personal fears in songs like "Someday Coming" and the title track. There are times when the music seems to perfectly capture the essence of what the lyrics are saying. One song where this is especially the case is "Revolving Man", where a simple repetitively picked guitar part actually gives the feeling of revolving. I have often described the band as living up to it's name because their music seems to capture a quality of innocence and purity of spirit that is hard to find in the cynical and overly sophisticated world of popular culture. This album is great place to first encounter this wonderful band.

Average customer rating: Haunting and Beautiful One for the Ages The Washington Post was right! Tasteful Folk Pop with Substance and Melodies Shines Finally a Cure

Winterpills Winterpills Manufacturer: Signature Sounds Recordingss ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Indie Rock | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Similar Items: The Light Divides Fox Confessor Brings the Flood Separate Ways A Thousand Days The Crane Wife ASIN: B000BJ7DCI Release Date: 2005-11-08

Tracks:

1. A Benediction
2. Laughing
3. Cranky
4. Threshing Machine
5. Want The Want
6. Pills For Sara
7. Found weekend
8. Portrait
9. Letter To A Friend In Jail
10. Looking Down

Album Description

Winterpills bring you a tender, filigreed sound, a humming and a fragmentation of warmth and chill, a delicate suspension of belief. They are a band playing you songs of pretty losses and hollow hopefulness. They formed on a bare wood floor during a winter when mutual friends and potential enemies met to nurse wounds, drink, ignore the obvious, play other people's songs, and found they had their own. They now give them to you in all their friendly, angry, wimpy, moody fragility.

Customer Reviews:

Haunting and Beautiful.......2006-07-24

An amazing album that will haunt you with achingly beautiful melodies and intelligent lyrics. Reminiscent of both Elliot Smith and Radiohead, songs like "Pills for Sara" and "Threshing Machine" will stick with you. I had the good fortune to see this band at Falcon Ridge Folk Festival and they were one of the highlights of the weekend.

One for the Ages.......2006-06-13

I was introduced to Winterpills by a friend in New Jersey, who raved about this CD. He was right. This is truly magnificent music. There is something quite classic in the blending of the vocals that is magical. Just listen to "Pills for Sara" "Laughing" and "Found Weekend" and your soul will be stirred. While others are comparing them to newer bands, I hear sixties Mamas and Papas and Its a Beautiful Day in there. The songs are timeless and expansive. If this came out in the sixties, it would be considered a classic today. Yes, it is that good. Do not hesitate in picking this one up. A+++

The Washington Post was right!.......2006-03-26

I bought this cd based solely on the Washington Post review. This is BEAUTIFUL music--perfect for a lazy sunday afternoon.

Tasteful Folk Pop with Substance and Melodies Shines.......2006-02-08

Folk pop can fall into certain traps: it can be cliched, too precious, or too derivative of other established bands, but the Winterpills are an original band with warm melodies who avoid these traps. Fans of Innocence Mission, Belle and Sebastian, and The Trash Can Sinatras will probably enjoy the Winterpills. If you like this type of melodic folk rock, may I suggest the Swedish band Ronderlin.

Finally a Cure.......2006-02-03

Is there a pill for the winter? Yes. It's this album.

Lush and jangly and warm, like the morning sun slipping in past the icycles on your roof. It envelopes you and warms you up. This album hugs you.

I found the Winterpills through a band called School for the Dead and their singer Henning Ohlenbusch. Ohlenbusch and the Winterpills' Philip Price were collaborators in a band called The Gay Potatoes which also featured Chris Collingwood of Fountains of Wayne. Did you follow that? I'm not sure even I did.

Price, like Ohlenbusch and Collingwood, has a talent for scribing beautiful, friendly, melodic, and moving pop hits. The Winterpills themselves, the band, arranges them into these delicate yet powerful expressions of emotion. You'll love it.

If you enjoy the music of Elliot Smith, Sufjan Stevens, The Shins, The Sundays, Paul Simon, School for the Dead, Fountains of Wayne, and Suzanne Vega you will want this album for your very own.

Average customer rating: I hope you're on your rooftop ... Inspires us to be pure of heart Karen Peris will break your heart Sorry, but No. Crafted Songs of Longing and Angelic Voice

Small Planes The Innocence Mission Manufacturer: What Are Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Indie Rock | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Pop | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music General | Pop | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Befriended Glow Birds of My Neighborhood Now the Day Is Over We Walked in Song ASIN: B00005O7S4 Release Date: 2001-10-02

Tracks:

1. Rooftop
2. Too Early To Say
3. Migration
4. Today
5. The Girl On My Left
6. Song About Traveling
7. Oh Do Not Fly Away
8. I Left The Grounds
9. Some Clear Joy Is Coming
10. Small Planes
11. I Have Loved You

Customer Reviews:

I hope you're on your rooftop ..........2005-08-20

Karen Peris of the Innocence Mission has the distinction of sounding basically like NO ONE else. And her voice has a certain quality that can simply reduce one to tears. On this album, like all the others, there are a few up-tempo songs, but ... I prefer the slower ones. And this may sound morbid, but ... I've always loved listening to their records alone in the dark, just crying my eyes out. This album is no exception, and like many other reviewers, I would rank it right up there at #2, just behind the 1989 debut (which is a pop masterpiece).

I was going to take the time to list what my favorite songs on this album are, but honestly I can't seem to weed out the good from the bad ... they're all great. In fact, it's a privelage to say that out of all the Innocence Mission songs in existence there's only maybe two or three that I don't care for, and those are on the second album. But since I feel I MUST pick out some favorites, they would be "Too Early to Say," "Today," and "Oh Do Not Fly Away."

Music, to me, is supposed to represent--mainly--some sort of escapism from life. The weird thing is the Innocence Mission sings ABOUT life ... and that's exactly the escapism I seem to need.

Inspires us to be pure of heart.......2005-03-09

After years of listening to the dejected and jaded, this music is like a cool hand on a fevered forehead. Their name says so much of their message: why not pursue innocence as a way of living life? Yes, we know, the world is a horrible place and people are only out for what they can get, money and power rule, and so on. Or maybe that's just the power we've given those pursuits? When, actually,is there anything more boring than debauchery?
I love this music and the lovliness of it for itself alone, but I find myself understanding that, yet again, the path to God is to be pure of heart.

Karen Peris will break your heart.......2005-01-14

I haven't heard this album, I've only downloaded "Today" from the Amazon downloads section. Since then I purchased "Glow" as it was the only IM album I could find. Anyway, the song "Today" from this album has become one of my favourite songs of all time. Karen's voice and lyrics will at once fill you with hope and at the same time break your heart...and you'll love it.

Sorry, but No........2004-11-13

I got this CD because I heard the song "Today" (track 4) and really liked it. After listening to the CD 3 or 4 times now, I can safely say that track 4 is the only thing on here worth listening to. I'm very disappointed.

Crafted Songs of Longing and Angelic Voice.......2003-05-24

I'm somewhat amazed that Innocence Mission seems incapable of writing a bad song, a quality that is most conspicuous on this perfect album, which features spare, acoustic instrumentation, which, combined with angelic and melancholy singing, somehow becomes lush in the best sense of the word. Dripping with melancholy and nostalgia, the songs evoke childhood memories, past longings, reaffirmations of bonds. With this kind of fare, you'd think the album would sink into preciousness, self-absorbed vanity, and sentimentality, but Innocence Mission is incapable of these traps. Their worldview and sensibility is genuine and that authenticity resonates in their music.

How do I rank this album among the Innocence Mission discography, all of which are gems? I tie it with "Glow" for first place. If you like the sensibility of Innocence Mission, you can find a similar longing in The Sundays, The Trash Can Sinatras, Rosie Thomas, and Damien Rice.

Average customer rating:

One for Sorrow Two for Joy Innocence Mission Manufacturer: Agenda ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Pop | Styles | Music Pop | Imports | Stores | Music Similar Items: Befriended Small Planes We Walked in Song Glow Now the Day Is Over ASIN: B0001ZWJF8 Release Date: 2004-08-09

Tracks:

1. One For Sorrow Two For Joy
2. Today
3. Peace Be With You

Album Details

Includes Unreleased B-side "Peace Be with You".

Meditation Music:

1. The Singles
2. To Sasha... From Langston
3. Toronto / Buffalo Brian
4. Transitions
5. Tube Driven
6. Underwater
7. VH1: More of the Big 80's
8. Walls Became The World
9. #1 Hits 1980-1984
10. 110% Hits

Meditation Music

meditation music

Meditation Music

Sin Is in

Lindberg & Friends Play Lindberg

Joseph Schmidt: Soundtracks from German and English Films [Soundtrack]

Music: Bonfire [Box set] [Import]

If Ya Can't Join Em Beat Em [Import] [Limited Edition]

Necks [EP]

Laylat Hob [Import]

Makin' Magic [Original recording remastered] [Import]

Mr. Supernatural [Enhanced]

Schumann: Cello Concerto

Just Feelin'

Lo Mejor del Top 10 de Video Rola

Latin Music: 100% Mariachi

Bernstein Favorites : Ballet Dances

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