Filigree & Shadow

This Mortal Coil | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 7, 1998)
• Original Release Date: 1986
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: 4ad / Ada
• ASIN: B000007SPU
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #83,185 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #17 in Music > Indie Music > Alternative Rock > British Alternative

Track Listings

1. Velvet Belly

2. The Jeweller

3. Ivy and Neet

4. Meniscus

5. Tarantula

6. My Father

7. Come Here My Love

8. At First, and Then

9. Strength of Strings

10. Morning Glory

11. Inch-Blue

12. I Want to Live

13. Mama K

14. Filigree & Shadow

15. Firebrothers

16. Thaïs

17. I Must Have Been Blind

18. A Heart of Glass

19. Alone

20. Mama K

See all 24 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a must-own CD on many levels, March 19, 2000

By 

Brooke Pennington "Renaissance girl" (Pocatello, ID USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Filigree & Shadow (Audio CD)

I heard of This Mortal Coil through a soundtrack, and I bought this CD on a whim--probably the best impulse buy I ever made. I first listened to it a few weeks later at three in the morning while smoking a cigarette and watching tree branches scrape my window. When you hear this music you will understand that it perfectly fit the moment. Dominic Appleton has the voice of a faceless lover in a gothic dream, and the instrumental pieces are quite haunting. "At First, and Then" is a gorgeous progression from calm to chaotic and frenzied that I see as a musical interpretation of either sex or death. "The Jeweller" is simply the best, most beautiful song I've heard, period. I found the Pearls Before Swine original version since I liked the cover so much, and the arrangement and vocals of This Mortal Coil's version make it far superior. This album also makes the best psychedelic music I've ever heard, bar none. It is great to chill out to--very relaxing, yet visionary. If I could own only one CD, this would be it.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Breathtaking., June 11, 2004

By 

Linda M. Versluis "geist" (St. Catharines, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Filigree & Shadow (Audio CD)

After ordering 'Blood', the 3rd album from This Mortal Coil, I decided to pick up Filligree and Shadow, and I am very happy I did. This album combines gentle strings, throbbing guitars and gentle piano chords, along with mesmering synthesizers, creating a 76 minute epic 4AD masterpiece. I was shocked at how wonderful this CD is. Ivo Watts Russell takes a number of relatively unknown songs by other artists, and gives them a '4AD makeover'. (The Jeweller, Come Here My Love, My Father, Strength of Strings, Morning Glory, Firebrothers, I Must Have Been Blind, Alone, Drugs)
There are also a number of TMC originals, which connect the songs to each other quite well. Darker and Warmer than It'll End in Tears, but more unfocused than Blood.
If you like Cocteau Twins, Dead Can Dance, Pink Floyd, etc. Pick this album up. NOW.

32 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good - but don't start your TMC collection here, July 7, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Filigree & Shadow (Audio CD)

I may be the lone voice of dissent on this page, but I must say, I have owned all three This Mortal Coil compilations for some time, and of the three, "Filigree and Shadow" is the weakest. It's not bad. But unlike the raw beauty of the "It'll End in Tears" tracks (which is mostly a Cocteau Twins/Dead Can Dance concoction - 4AD chief Ivo Watts-Russell hadn't yet a roster large enough by then!) and the epic sweep of "Blood" (which has a couple of guitar-laden clunkers but is otherwise packed with dark and soaring emotional stunners), this album has a more ambient feel, and thus lacks much personality or punch. I've listened to it several times and most of it just feels samey to me. It's good, but as a listening experience, the album is strictly a flat landscape, with few peaks or valleys.

Obviously many people here feel differently. But to those who may have been curious about This Mortal Coil, but aren't sure which CD to get first, I highly, highly recommend you start your journey with "Blood." Then rush out and get "It'll End in Tears." Heck, get them both at the same time.