Customer Reviews

12 Tales

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

If you're into ethereal and melodic Goth music and don't mind some shoegazer and very subtle glam rock thrown in the mix than why not take a chance and buy this? The price is affordably low so it's definitely worth checking out. I promise you won't be disappointed, and if you are, well, you don't have much to lose - only something to gain so look at it that way. Not every song's a gem but it's a well put together compilation and it's a great introduction to a lot of amazing groups, such as The Cranes (Alison's childlike voice fits right in here), the eclectic Bitstream Dream, Miranda Sex Garden, and many others that are far less known but just as talented in this underground arena of stars. "The Hunter's Kiss" by Rasputina is a fantastic song but the production is so gritty I can hardly stand the torture of it. Not every track is like that though which leads me to believe it was their intention for the instruments to sound raw that way instead of polished (?). "O! What A Dream It Was" by Future Bible Heroes is probably the biggest highlight for me and I'm absolutely enthralled with the deep, enchanting male vocalist. The dark, hypnotic "Slipping Away" by The Creatures, the trip-hop blues of "Purr La Perla" by Violet Indiana, the harmonious guitar and drum swirling of the alternative "Flying" by Livid Kittens, and "You Could Walk Forever" by Devics, which is a sad yet gorgeous tune with an underlie of pop sensibility are other personal favorites that I otherwise would have never heard before if it hadn't been for this purchase. What truly makes the merit of this album laudable, however, is how every track includes illustrations by the often-quirky Amy Brown with short tales written by Melora Creager to accompany each picture. I therefore recommend this to fans of faerie lore as well.

[Cover art: Cloak Of Stars by Amy Brown]

For fans of the spell-like quality of medieval rock and shoegazing/dreampop, 12 Tales is a rare little must-own. It's probably my favorite compilation CD ever made. It initially attracted me by the cover art (I'm a huge Amy Brown fan) and then pulled me in by the track list--Rasputina, Cranes, Violet Indiana, and Miranda Sex Garden all on the same album? Sweet! I was immediately made a fan of the lesser-known artists on 12 Tales, such as The Flir, Bitstream Dream, Future Bible Heroes, and Livid Kittens. A booklet insert is a neat little feature, as mini-story and a piece of Amy Brown's fairy art accompany every track listing.

Don't except anything too heavy here--rather, the CD consists of 12 atmospheric tunes that will take you straight to Dreamland. Highlights are the Crane's "Flute Song," which has melodic aching quality set to a soft baseline; Bitstream Dream's "Impossible Gardens," which carries trace-like vocals set to a mid-eastern vibe; Violet Indiana's "Purr la Perla," which has this faraway, wistful texture; and David Sylvian's "Room of Sixteen Shimmers," a darkwave, fantasy gem.

At this price, "12 Tales" eases the risk of giving lesser-known bands a listen. Amy Brown's art should please any faerie fan. The songs are mostly sung by women and share a 2 a.m. melancholy. If you like "The Unquiet Grave" sampler series, grab this CD now.

Rasputina's "Hunter's Kiss" is a good opener, and dance clubs should run this in place of the band's beaten-to-death "Transylvanian Concubine." The Flir's "Lick" is a nice blend of Cocteau Twins and a shoegazer beat.

Standouts:
Cranes - "Flute Song": Gorgeous; sounds like a serial-killer slow-dance.
The Creatures - "Slipping Away": Siouxsie and Budgie continue to flirt with a Beatles style.
Violet Indiana - "Purr La Perla": Desolate and dreamy; perfect for a David Lynch movie.
Miranda Sex Garden - "Ardera Sempre": An oldie but goodie. Katharine Blake is one of the great goth sirens.
Livid Kittens - "Flying": similar to "Purr La Perla." A slow, sultry ballad.

The last four songs aren't as memorable, but none of them are awful. This CD is a good value, and like any decent collection, it sparks your interest in the bands' own stuff.

On a whim, I decided to purchase this CD since I'm a fan of Changeling: The Dreaming. The CD has nothing to do with that game, but the fairy art was what caught my attention. The insert was illustrated very well.

As for the music itself, I believe it's like a coffee. You have to acquire a taste. The first track, Hunter's Kiss has a very interesting style, reminisant of old music froma record player. The music is scratchy to sound a bit aged.

Broadly speaking, this CD will most likly tickle the pallet of those who are fans of darker music like Goth and Alternative.

I also find the beat to the CD to be fairly soothing and it's quite plesant to actually fall asleep to. Oh What A Dream It Was could almost be a lullaby, if it wern't for the actual story in the lyrics.

So overall, I'd recomment this CD if you like this type of musical style. If you like pop music... er... well, it might be your bane. Peronally at the price it's selling for, it dosen't seem that they are making a lot of money off it like some notorious artists in the Pop industry.

I recieved this cd as a gift over a year ago, and I still absolutely love it. I have a feeling it was bought for me because I was a Rasputina fan with nothing left to buy, (ha-ha) however the rest of the songs on this c.d. are just as epic and lovely

It's absolutely beautiful in it's entirety. The most outstanding songs are "Hunter's Kiss" "Purr la Perla" and my ABSOLUTE favorite "O What a Dream it Was" by Future Bible Heroes.

My cd is already starting to skip (from repetitious play) and- now this should tell you something- Im thinking of obtaining a REPLACEMENT copy!

so yes nothing but glowing reviews for this cd.

I bought this cd because: a) the cover art intrigued me and b) the asking price was too good to pass up...Being a big fan of goth music, I thought this cd was worth checking out especially for the Miranda Sex Garden because I am a big fan of Katherine Blake's latest group Mediaeval Baebes. I absolutely loved "Ardera Sempre" by Miranda Sex Garden. I really need to hear more music from the classical/pop trio. I really don't consider Future Bible Heroes to be gothic and thought it was odd to hear this indie pop band on a cd with mostly goth bands. Still I enjoyed "O! What a Dream It Was" immensely. It took me a few listens for Rasputina's "Hunter's Kiss" to grow on me. Initially I wasn't too wild about the song. I am not really familiar with Bitstream Dream, The Flir, Russell Mills, Livid Kittens, The Devics, and The Legendary Pink Dots to be perfectly honest but what I heard from them I did like, especially The Legendary Pink Dots and The Flir. Violet Indiana is alright. They could be better if the guy stopped singing. I used to have their debut album and I thought his vocals just ruined the vocals. I dug the other songs by The Creatures (Siouxsie Sioux's post Banshees project), The Cranes as well as Miranda Sex Garden, The Flir, the Legendary Pink Dots, and Rasputina. The art work was fascinating as well. Not many people put much effort into the art work in their cd booklets but the girls in Rasputina did with this compilation. It added a nice touch to the music.

I found this album by accident at my local Sam Goody. It had one of my favorite artist's (Amy Brown) artwork all over it and one of my favorite bands (Rasputina) on it so I thought I'd give it a try. It is kind of difficult to describe this album at all. If you've ever listened to a Rasputina album then you have a general idea of what the songs on here are like. They all have a whimsical sort of feel to them, which is what I think they were going for. Some are soft and I would liken them to the soundtrack to a fantasy world that is full of bright colors and gentle faeries and the like. Some are full of metal and heavy techno influences but also have a sweet or melancholy quality to them. If these things do not attract you, but you are an Amy Brown fan, it may be worth it just for the booklet inside, which is about 13 or so illustrations by her accompanied by tiny little one or two paragraph stories written by Melora Creeger (singer of Rasputina) that are inspired by each of the songs and written in her familiar style. If you can find this CD and all of that sounds good to you I highly recommend it.

Don't hesitate to hear some familiar favs and learn about new bands on this mix cd. Rasputina's gritty love-death-hunted song can be found on their album Cabin Fever, and if you like the second track "Oh What a Dream it Was," browse through Stephin Merritt's other works from the Magnetic Fields and the 6ths - no one else brings such glamour to darkness. The Flir's song "Lick" is one of my favorites and has a great beat and haunting vocals. Some tracks will remind you of goth roots like Souxie and the Cure, but the overall mix is well constructed and flows from song to song. Quite enchanting, and a great bargain for the 12 tracks you get.

From Rasputina to Cranes to Violet Indiana, an introduction to some of the most brilliant of the lesser known bands. Even The Flir (who recorded five songs that I know of) make an appearance. The world needs more CDs like this.
I especially like Hunter's Kiss by the amazing Rasputina-great on their many CDs and great in concert.
Violet Indiana (Robin Guthrie's latest) and Cranes are also wonderful discoveries for those previously unaware of them.

What first got my attention was the cover, and that Rasputina put it together. I like Rasputina but the other artists really weren't that great to me,nor are the songs.(Although Miranda Sex Garden is fairly good.)If your a Rasputina fan, I would definantly check out the other artists first to see if you like them. I know I won't make judgements on cd cover art anymore.