142. Audible Sigh – Vigilantes of Love
AUDIBLE SIGH (1999)
Vigilantes of Love
Another Vigilantes of Love album that Diamante was supposed to distribute, but fell through. Over my decade with the company there were four different VoL albums that I was supposed to have the pleasure of distributing and all of them never saw the light of day. This one was originally to be released through True Tunes, but it never happened, but it is the copy I own.
Wow, good like finding a song to skip here. It remains one of the most commercially viable releases in the bands history with several “Petty-ish” (and I mean that in a good way) styled pop numbers with significantly more instrumentation than almost any opther VoL project. If Petty had recorded “Goes Without Saying” it would have been a commercial success.
“Resplendent” is self defining and “She Walked On Roses” is a great groove song that college radio should have loved. the more I listen to Mallonee the more I get pissed that this guy isn’t the most decorated songwriter of his generation. There are at least a handful of songs that if were released under the name REM would be seen as some of Stipe’s finest work.
Oh well, complaining and barking at the night won’t change reality, but I do always hope the next album will finally be the one to introduce the world to Bill Mallonee. Until then I will continue to enjoy the stack of great work he has already released.
CCM's 500 Best Albums Of All Time 
I find a lot of Bill Mallonee/VoL fans strain to either “Killing Floor” or “Audible Sigh” as their favourites. Me, I’ve always had a tough time choosing one album as my “favourite Bill Mallonee” album. I think it would be an album from “Slow Dark Train”-“Audible Sigh”. Having said that, lately I do think this might be my favourite. So many great songs, especially “Solar System”.
“Solar System” is still one of the finest love songs written in the last twenty years in my opinion!
“Nothing Like A Train” is also a classic that never seems to get old no matter how many times I listen to it!
I first discovered this album in high school, and to this day I still listen to it at least once a month.
Bill Mallonee is in my list of the top 5 best living songwriters, and I couldn’t agree more that he is greatly under appreciated in the music world at large. Then again, that could be said about so many of the wonderful artists on this list!
Buddy Miller did a fine fine job on this album, IMHO.
Billy, I don’t remember….were you on Audible Sigh? If so, was this pretty much the final album with VOL as a viable entity?
Oh, and Strawshine….count me among the people who are big fans of Slow Dark Train. As a fellow sufferer of clinical depression, Bill’s “Judas Skin” is an incredible comfort to me and I love the re-working of “Love Cocoon.”
Well so far every VOL album I’ve listened to I like.. 🙂