Customer Reviews

Find Yourself Along The Way

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Quite removed from modern trends and therfore for people who can look outside of what's fashionable, this is a fantastic piece of dreamy guitar dream pop. Reminiscent of lots of early 90's UK shoegazer pop, its got all the necessasry ingrediants - relaxed vocals, walls of guitar effects and all in all is a superb listen. Highly recommended.

Easily one of the best new shoegaze bands I've heard in awhile. For the most part, I find the modern shoegaze scene to be very bland, and uninteresting, especially when compared to bands such as My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, and alot of the other innovators from the early 90's. This band however, is far from bland. At times their guitar work sounds fairly reminescent of Slowdive, but to compare either band to eachother would be a disservice to both.

No guitars as heavily processed as "Several Girls Galore" or "Soft as Snow" from My Bloody Valentine's "Isn't Anything"(widely considered to be the first proper shoegazing release) appear on The Meeting Place's "Find Yourself Along The Way"; this release is more reminiscent of Slowdive's "Just For a Day" (though more aggressive) or anything from the "Untouched"segment of Secret Shine's recording career. I can also hear hints of (the) Pale Saints, Swallow, and even the JAMC in several places, perhaps due to this band's use of a saturative wash of reverb and delay to create a similar type of expansive sound. The vocalist's earnest, sometimes plaintive delivery occasionally recalls Michael Stipe's distinctive cadence from REM's earliest releases, which came as somewhat of a surprise (though not a distractive one) when the association first came to my attention, and he seems to have taken some trouble with the lyrics. "Now I Know You Will Never Be The One" and "Take To The Sun" are the standout tracks on this release, but every track contributes toward a sense of real cohesion. Having been in my mid-twenties when "Isn't Anything" was released and a long-time fan of the previously listed groups, I can definitely agree with others who have reviewed this CD that The Meeting Places have done more than just derivatively replicate the glorious wistfulness underlying the quintessential shoegazing sound; they are helping to extend and refine it within the blueprint laid out by their antecedents.

I've only been introduced to the shoegaze style of music just recently, but this band has a way of taking that style and making it more approachable. Maybe its the pop melodies, or the sexy wall of sound from the guitars. Whatever it is, they do a phenomenal job! I highly recommend this CD if you are looking for something a little out of the ordinary.

I feel very lucky to have discovered this band. The Meeting Places represent the very best of what dream pop should be and here they prove what it can be: sonically pleasing songs, drenched with guitar washes, that ultimately are tuneful moments of pop perfection. As a longtime fan of shoegazer music a casual mention of the Meeting Places in a review of another band gave me the opportunitity to find my favorite musical discovery of 2007. Every track on this CD works. If you enjoy Slowdive, Ride, Minipop, you will enjoy this CD. I also highly recommend the follow up Numbered Days.

If you like music from Cocteau twins, Slowdive, brain eno, my bloody valentine and or any other ambient chill music that just makes you feel good, you need this album, almost every song is great. in general this has the feeling of a cohesive album instead of a collection of random songs. if i were ever to make a movie, I would deffinately use some of these tunes in the soundtrack, hahaha...

I love this CD!! I saw the band play a week ago in L.A. If you are a shoegazer or dream pop fan, this is for you! The resplendent washes of background sound and feedback are pierced by beautiful guitar melodies. Arthur Chan's bass playing is superb, and his bass bridge on Same Lies As Yesterday leading as an interlude into the blending of the melody and harmony of the song is transformative. I'm not kiding. It brings tears to my eyes. On Our Own is just a wonderful melody. It makes me picture Olympus and Athena, Aphrodite or Hera gliding down to assist a human they love who's in peril. The point is, whatever's in your mind, this music will highlight it and bring it to a more metaphyscial level. It makes it more meaningful. All of the songs are good though, Freeze Our Stares, Wide Awake, Now I know You Could Never Be the One, etc. etc. Great CD. Buy it now!

I said it all in my title but it bears repeating...its absolutely blissful nu-gaze-shoe-gaze-dream-pop-whatever you wanna call it.
There's no sense in breaking this disc down song to song, they are all equally five star as far as I'm concerned. I'm going through a stressful time at the moment and this music is the perfect catharsis. It has earned a permanent spot in my regular rotations. If you (whomever 'you' might be) have the same level of appreciation for Find Yourself Along The Way as I do I'd highly recommend...
- Engineers - The Engineers
- Engineers - Three Fact Fader
- Tears Run Rings - Always, Sometimes, Seldom, Never
- Ariel - Winks and Kisses

There now, I hope that helps someone.

this is my surprise album for this year thus far.

i bought it from a pandora recommendation and absolutely love this album.

it's very swoony and etheral guitar with simplistic melodies and good vocals.

the album is a very well matched set of songs.

i'd highly recommend it.

If you like listening to and discovering new music then this band is a definitely worth checking out. I'm not a huge fan of shoegaze music however, I enjoy some songs done by `My Bloody Valentine'.

This band produces intelligent lyrics and original sounds with great rhythm and they have become one of my favorite newest discoveries in music. This album is worth owning!