Gravity Gets Things Done

The Pale | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 13, 2004)
• Original Release Date: 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sidecho Records
• ASIN: B0000E332E
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #479,318 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Palatable catchy rock, November 27, 2004

By 

E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Gravity Gets Things Done (Audio CD)

Don't expect The Pale to rock your world in their sophomore album "Gravity Gets Things Done," but expect it to sway a little. It's pretty standard indie-pop-rock, a bit on the sweet side and tempered with romantic yearnings and post-relationship misery.

It opens with the poppy "Space to Move," which kicks off by challenging a philosophical belief, but gets a bit confusing. Are they singing to a lover, or to the world in general? The tone doesn't change much with the grim guitarpop "Gravity Gets Things Done" or the horns and keyboards of "Wake Up Call."

The Pale does break form with songs like "Reason To Try," a snapping rock song with pop edges. And while "Big Dumb Smile" doesn't break too far from the indiepop mold, it has a sinister edge and disjoined instrumentation that lend it a totally different feeling. But overall, the album rests on mellow but somewhat monotonous pop music -- pleasant, but not great.

The feeling that the Pale has is... confusion. Gabe Archer sings about how "I really don't know," "I'm so confused" and "is everyone here?" In virtually every song on "Gravity Gets Things Done," there's a tone of mild confusion -- even the you-hurt-me love songs sound vague and a bit distant.

The music itself is a bit on the monotonous side -- each song is pleasant on its own, but most are in the same musical style. A little more variety would have been nice. Cam Nicklaus's guitarwork is quite good -- he can wring some solid riffs from that thing, and starts on a dime. And Greg Swineheart's drumming has a tendency to be buried under the other sounds, but it's also quite good.

Archer does have a strong voice, which smoothly glides through each of the songs, and is still strong enough to rise above the rock-ier riffs. And each song starts off strong, but becomes a bit unravelled as they go on. They do have some clever phrasing woven in ("You are the girl with the smiles and gravity/and gravity gets things done"), but also incredibly awkward phrases like "You're equipped with only minor chords disguised as excuses."

The Pale don't do too poorly on their sophomore album, "Gravity Gets Things Done." They manage a sort of sweet rock-edged indiepop, but need more variety and smoother songwriting. Maybe on the third album.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Pale is so incredibly good I can barely move. . ., January 28, 2004

By 

Dustin (Seattle, Wa, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gravity Gets Things Done (Audio CD)

Scrumtralescent is the only word that can describe this cd. Yes, you may be asking yourself, is that a word? The answer is no - unless you ask Will Ferrell. However, scrumtralescent would mean something along the lines of (too amazingly good to describe accurately). This cd, and band, will blow you away. Start/stop (number 12) might bring you to tears. I have seen them in concert many times, but it will never be enough. The music they create is very unique - to be honest I can't relate them to anyone else. Gabe Archer's vocals are one of a kind - and beautiful. Greg Swinehart's drumming is melodic and moving -and Cam Nicklaus's lead guitar playing is ABSOLUTELY MIND BOGGLING. And then there is Lance, the bassist, who likes to sway a lot on stage and it's kinda cool to watch him run into everybody and kick them. But when you put these guys all together, you get an amazing sound. It's just awesome. I'm telling you, these guys are going to explode soon and you will all wish only that you would have tried them out sooner - your life would have improved tenfold. Perhaps one-hundredfold. No wait, ten-thousandfold. Ok? Just get it. It will change your life. Start/stop is the best. And if you go to their website and buy their first cd, you get to see Gabe on the cover dressed up in a superman costume as a little boy. (lady's - calm down).

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars There is no denying this band or this record., February 26, 2004

By 

Derick Johnson (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gravity Gets Things Done (Audio CD)

These guys are true indie pop, and if you were to compare them to someone, it would be the Pernice Brothers, maybe Ben Folds. But that's not important. The important thing here is that you understand that this is the next true band, with an outstanding record here and an unbelievable live set to match. This band has the kind of live show that could draw comparisons to the first couple feverish U2 tours. This is the next big thing, for sure. I can honestly say that these guys will continue to impress people long after these comparisons die down... all that we'll have left is one of the best new bands in America, the one that should eventually overshadow Coldplay, because they are simply the best songsmiths around. Just you wait... 10 years from now you'll regret not getting in on this with such a great record, Gravity Gets Things Done.