Heavy Rotation 006: Esthero | Breath From Another.

Yeah. I know this album came out in 1998. I copped it a year later -- and Breath From Another has the unique distinction as being one of the very few albums to truly remain in heavy rotation in my headphones for over a decade. (In fact, I'm listening to it as I write this entry.) I knew basically nothing about Esthero at the time I bought the CD, but:

1. I was in the mood for more trip-hop/"electronica," being on that Sneaker Pimps/Mono/Hooverphonic tip back then; and
   
   
2. I absolutely loved the album cover design, minimalist as it was. It's gorgeous:

Something about this jewel of an album just succeeds in holding up over time and refuses to sound dated. I really wouldn't classify Breath From Another as a "trip-hop" record; the overall mixture ends up being much more than that. Borrowing influences from a myriad of genres, Esthero never overindulges, but uses them more like vitamin supplements for her own style of music. The tracks flow together without blurring into each other, possessing different moods and emotions, and giving you an oddly satisfying sense of completeness after the last song. The result is that I can play Breath From Another from beginning to end each and every time I cue it up, with zero skips. That being said, I can't say that I have any favorite songs on the album; it's clichéd, but to me, having a favorite would mean neglecting the other tracks. With this LP, that's not going to happen.


Check back with me in 2020. I guarantee you this'll still be getting major spins out of my speakers.