Alternate Tracklisting: Divine Discontent

Ever since this album was released in 2002, I've been torn. I love Sixpence, and this record has some of the best songs they've ever recorded, but the original version was maimed by the record company; i the end, six songs were cut and six new ones added. Most of the new songs were would-be singles, several not even written by Sixpence, replacing some genuinely great tracks.

There is no getting around the despair in the songs that were recorded for Divine Discontent. I don't think it's appropriate to refer to DD as a "divorce record" the way that, say, Nick Cave's The Boatman's Call or Beck's Sea Change is, but there is a heartbreaking desperation to much of the album. The new/"official" version minimizes the melancholy by front-loading the record with sunshiney pop.


In my reshuffling, I had two goals: to blend the best songs of the prerelease version with those of the released version -- while keeping the album at 13 songs -- and to create something that better captures both the profound sadness and hope at the record's core.
So, for your approval, I present:

DIVINE DISCONTENT RESHUFFLED

1. I’ve Been Waiting
2. Too Far Gone
3. Northern Lights
4. Us
5. Down and Out of Time
6. Still Burning
7. Melody of You
8. Paralyzed
9. Don’t Pass Me By
10. Eyes Wide Open
11. Dizzy
12. Tension is a Passing Note
13. A Million Parachutes

First of all, I love opening with "I've Been Waiting." It sets the tone for the record, musically and thematically, in a way that "Breathe Your Name" (the original opener) simply didn't. But moving on...

WHAT GETS CUT
First of all, "Waiting on the Sun" and "Don't Dream It's Over" are immediately axed: the former because it was written by the dude from Lifehouse (I dare you to tell me the record company didn't force this one on them), the latter because, while not a bad cover, is distracting and another record company choice.

“Kiss Me” essentially forced 6p to write a song that announced “I AM A POP SINGLE” for this album, so I feel bad about cutting “Breathe Your Name,” which was a truly good single, and less so about cutting "Tonight," which has a great melody, but isn't as compelling. This version of the album doesn't leave much in the way of potential singles. Oh well!

WHAT GETS ADDED
The idea is to keep the record sequenced roughly the same was the original version was, so four of the old songs are welcomed back: "Too Far Gone," "Us," "Northern Lights," and "Don't Pass Me By."

"Down and Out of Time," one of the "new" songs, replaces "Loser Like Me" on this version, which I admit is a questionable choice, because it really piles on the melancholy. I also decided to leave "Deeper" off for thematic reasons. I think "Northern Lights" is the saddest pop song in the world, and that leaving "Deeper" off the list allows NL to retain its ambiguity and desperation.

One nice thing about this record is that Matt's vocals are added back into the mix -- three of the cut songs feature prominent (in the sense that you can actually hear them) vox from him, which I find quite moving on those songs of his that you can tell were very personal; Leigh was still singing his words, but he finally lets himself be heard.

Sixpence fans, what do you think?