Customer Reviews

Comforts of Madness

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I believe that The Comforts of Madness is perhaps the most significant and yet little known recording of an equally significant musical era. It lies at the wake of what might be considered "classic" British indie, representative of bands such as McCarthy, The Smiths, Biff Bang Pow, House of Love, and many more besides. But it also is at the cusp--and perhaps birth--of shoegaze, twee, and the second wave [sic.] of British indie. To this effect The Comforts of Madness is the early crystalization of bands such as Slowdive, Chapterhouse, Lush, Ride, etc. etc. Indeed, The Comforts of Madness, much less any Pale Saints recording, captures the very essence of nearly all that was indie in Britain in the late eighties/early nineties: washing guitar sounds, mellow rhythms, whispery vocals, and somewhat sentimental lyrics. Although this may sound sappy, it is not; trust me. This album is intense and is well suited for contemplative moments and self-indulgent behavior induced by whatever turns you on.

The e.p. that came out prior to The Comforts of Madness is titled Barging Into the Presence of God, and contains 'Sight of You,' which is presumably the single track on TCOM. However, nearly each time I meet someone familiar with TCOM it is generally agreed that track number three, 'Sea of Sound,' is the strongest song on the album. Of course tastes change and this track, along with track seven, 'A Deep Sleep for Steven,' are ostensibly the more dreamy, mello, and, as I alluded to above, more sentimental of the tracks. Several of the tracks are rather upbeat yet still capture that washy/shoe-gazy sound so indicative of the period.

To be sure, TCOM is an album of an era and captures that moment in Brit-pop history perfectly. Yet, I feel that TCOM has withstood the test of time perhaps better than many of the recordings of the period. This may be due to the fact that TCOM was released prior to the buzz of the "shoegaze" bands that were soon to arrive on the scene. It is the same phenomenon that occurs when anything become popular and defined - it invariably becomes vulgar. This is not to suggest that bands such as Slowdive, Chapterhouse, Secret Shine, and The Field Mice are vulgar. Not at all. But comparatively I would argue that TCOM is a stronger, more timeless, work. Of course My Bloody Valentine was not mentioned here and deserves a great deal of credit for all the aforementioned bands, as do countless others.

If this has piqued your interest I encourage you to check out the Pale Saints. If you have and you like what you have heard, be aware that Ian Masters has, subsequent to his leaving the Pale Saints, partnered with some unlikly musicians such as Chris Trout to form Spoonfed Hybrid (a remarkable recording released on the 4AD subsidiary Guernica--find this and buy it!) and Warren DeFever from His Name is Alive to do some project whose name I forget. I have not heard this project in full but what I have heard in quite different from Pale Saints and Spoonfed.

No group signed to 4AD was better able to promote tension within their recordings through the usage of a quiescent/aggressive dynamic then the Pixies), but the Pale Saints, in my opinion, were often a closely related second, though they didn't replicate the electro-acoustical formula made so familiar by the Pixies.

This was brought more to bear on their sophomore release "In Ribbons", but strong traces begin to rise on their full-length debut, "The Comforts of Madness", which by turns within the space of the first song "Way The World Is" begins with a sudden explosive onrush and graduates to something almost softly bouncing or levitating before reverting again and ending in an all-out crescendo. "Sight of You", "Comforts'" breakout track, is a little more restrained in presentation, but employs this dynamic even more effectively, guitars levitating up and down the scale with a chiming resonance. "Insubstantial" gradually ratchets up a jangly guitar line to a heavier layer of distortion, retreats, and allows the tempo to build again, ending in a transitional phase of heavily modulated effects that reach a state of sustained explosiveness before fading into perhaps the finest track on this release " A Deep Sleep For Steven", which builds from a heavily narcotic guitar texture, resonant bassline, and quietly splashing cymbals to reach a crescendo that doesn't travel far from its point of origin, but with a truly majestic sweep, evoking deliberative pomp with a deft usage of tom-toms. "Sea of Sound", another song that rests upon a levitational scale, is similar in deliberate pacing to the previously mentioned track, but builds to its slight crescendo in a glorious wave of delayed, pitch-bent, echo-driven multiplicative riffing. "Little Hammer" uses a slightly plucked, heavily resonant bassline, tom-toms, a dulcimer, and an acoustic guitar riff to build toward its moderate level. "True Coming Dream" and "Language of Flowers" are both upbeat dreampop songs, enjoyable listens, but (almost) forgettable next to the material that's preceded it, including a well-turned cover of Opal's "Fell From The Sun."

Serving to perfectly match the mood of each track, Ian Master's boyish tenor and introspective lyrics capture a sense of nostalgia on several tracks (including the brilliant "Little Hammer") or confused wistfulness ("A Deep Sleep For Steven") and hopeful forecasting ("Sea of Sound"). Although a strong release on its own merits, "In Ribbons", bolstered by the inclusion of Meriel Barham to serve as a vocal counterpoint, represents the apotheosis of the Pale Saint's sound. Nevertheless, "The Comforts of Madness" is just about as close to indispensable as "In Ribbons", missing out only by a whisker.

I bought this CD shortly after it came out and it quickly shot to the top of my all-time favorite albums. Here we are, 14 years and hundreds of CD purchases later, and it's still at the top of my list.

As other reviewers have noted, there is not one bad song on this disc. This is pure indie dreampop at it finest. The seamless production (with short "interstitial" moments connecting the songs) makes this album feel like a waking dream.

I would point out the best tracks on the disc, but that would amount to a complete tracklisting. Most notable: "Sea of Sound," "Language of Flowers," "Sight of You," and "True Coming Dream."

This debut-album I rate as one of best in the British 'shoe-gazing' scene. Next to MY BLOODY VALENTINE and RIDE, they can combine their 'noise' with perfect little pop tunes and angel voices. 'True coming dream', 'Time thief' are some of the greatest tunes on this album. But as a whole, it is even greater.

THE COMFORTS OF MADNESS was the first album by Pale Saints, released in 1990 after 4AD had issued an EP. While the murky production is truly tragic, the songwriting and musicianship of Pale Saints more than make up for it.

From start to finish, THE COMFORTS OF MADNESS is an incredibly cohesive album, and in fact the songs do mix into one another without any blank space between. The first two songs, "Way the World Is" and "You Tear the World in Two," provide an explosive opening for the album. Then, the listener is dropped into the lush sea of "Sea of Sound." "True Coming Dream" is an extremely catchy, but original, pop composition. "Little Hammer" is a heartbreaking remembrance of childhood. My personal favourite of the album, although every song is superb, is "Language of Flowers," where every note brings one to a higher state. The last song on the album, "Time Thief," is an elusive track that shifts its time signatures so often as to totally lose the listener, but that's a good thing for the song.

All three members of Pale Saints are excellent musicians. Ian Masters, that "reincarnation of a Viennese choirboy," has a haunting voice while his bass guitar is always right on target. Chris Cooper moves around the drumset expertly. Graeme Naysmith's guitars wrap around each other in a whirlpool of sound.

Although the following album by Pale Saints, 1992's IN RIBBONS, had crystal-clear production, THE COMFORTS OF MADNESS is the finest example of their songwriting prowess. This is one of the few albums I have in my collection that I can't name a single bad track from, and it's truly a great work.

Comforts of Madness is easily one of my top five favorite albums ever. After 16 years I still keep coming back to it. I usually have to listen to it 3 or 4 times to get it out of my system for a few months. "Sea of Sound" is one of the most intense and beautiful songs I know. It's my favorite moment in the album, but heck, all the songs are great. This album has one of my favorite covers, with v23's mischief all over the place. As with many 4ad releases, stare at the cover and listen with headphones, kids.

In January 1990 I took over the job of music director at a college radio station and received this stunner of an album from 4AD. It still sounds great 13 years later. Though later dwarfed by the magnaminity of My Bloody Valentine's Loveless LP, The Comforts of Madness is an brilliant early document of what came to be called the "shoegazer" sound. Pale Saints were the first to pioneer the formula: crisp pop songwriting merged with experiments in Sonic Youth style noise and feedback. But whereas MBV's pop draws heavily on the romantic swoon of the Beach Boys, Pale Saints' pop is very jangly and much less dense.

At the time, there was no band that sounded like Pale Saints. Other, lesser bands such as Ride, Slowdive, and Chapterhouse would later borrow heavily from this pioneering album. But Pale Saints eschewed the repetitive drones that characterized these bands' sounds, focusing instead on concise songwriting with occasional dissonant chord progressions and time changes. It is something of an injustice that this album has not recieved its due, but as David Bowie has said, "It's not who does it first, it's who does it second."

This first album by The Pale Saints is sheer brilliance! Ian Masters and co. have crystallized not only the angst of youth, but the pain of existence and the existential guilt of just being, into a music of gorgeous pop melodies and beautiful, wonderful harmonies. Ever since I got this album, it has been playing in my car non-stop as a drive. This is the kind of music that changes your whole being and speaks to you as very few other albums can. Further words would be pointless. Buy the album, listen to it and hear and experience for yourself.

i saw this band in bath, uk, in fall, 1990. perhaps the best club show i have ever seen. bought the tape the next day. when that wore out, i finally purchased the cd. this album is consistently rewarding, from start to finish. not a bad song on it. great songwriting. imaginative arrangements and sounds. great music.

This albumn is a must have, for any fans of 4AD music. I have loved since the first time I heard it years ago.