To Change the Shape of an Envelope

Camera Obscura | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 2, 2000)
• Original Release Date: May 9, 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Troubleman Unlimited
• ASIN: B00004RDWG
• Also Available in: Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #429,071 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Trigger System

2. Cinematheque

3. Theory on Sex as an Art Form

4. Sarasota

5. Twenty Five Diamonds

6. Aeronautical

7. Sound

8. Song de la Luna

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars No time to breath., August 5, 2004

By 

the anagram of my sould "Destruction optional" (Fort Wayne, IN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: To Change the Shape of an Envelope (Audio CD)

Wow, these are the first words that come to my mind when I think about this record, it's amazing. I've been obsesivly listening to this for about a week straight whenever I go out of my house. See I like to listen to music when I'm walking to class and I can make it to the library by the time the first song ends! Anyways this is great music... man is it lovely. Layered to the point of damnation and well thought out and intelligently sung lyrics. The keyboards are great! I don't think every band should use keyboards, but with these guys... man the keyboard is just as if it is the back bone strutting down their flesh and keeping them erect and walking on this green planet. Then it's as if a metamorphisis is occuring in the music, as the planescape of sound just collides and chrashes into the sky a change takes place and you are delivered into a new and exciting plane of musical exploration. The guitars jive, jam and mesh and there is something to be said about the lyrics and the singing. Fave track? Probably the first one or Cinemateque.

5.0 out of 5 stars Layered Post-Hardcore Guitars (A Mouthful), June 13, 2011

By 

Cannibal Cheerleader "Merzbau" (Illinois, U.S.) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: To Change the Shape of an Envelope (Audio CD)

To Change the Shape of an Envelope is an album you're either gonna love or think it wallows in it's experimentation(hate, basically). Of course if you know what you're getting yourself into and arrived at this page, you're not part of the latter (hopefully). This album is nothing but raw sonic artistic expression. Mixing from many genres such as Hardcore Art Rock, Space Rock, and some shoegaze to boot.

Spine tingling guitars, synths that siren off like pipe organs from hell, and practically indecipherable vocals. At first listen it seems to be an overwhelming mess of sound, but under close scrutiny and repeated listens it becomes clear that this is carefully controlled chaos. What would first seem to be a monolith of sound, becomes subtle changes in layers and synchronized instrumentation. I kind of wish this style would have rubbed off more, but a person can only wish so much.

This an album to be judged on artistic merit rather than image. If one were to do so you've found yourself an obscure post-hardcore masterpiece that probably won't leave your listening rotation for days.

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars camera, October 4, 2000

By 

"theeternalstallion" (sdcausa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: To Change the Shape of an Envelope (Audio CD)

absolutely the greatest band from san diego since clikatat and just as intense