Customer Reviews

Island of Jewels

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
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There is a very distinct mountain range in the progression of albums by this band. There are the tapes, piles of them, tiny mountains, at the foot of their journey. Cascading onward like a herd of igneous rocks, they seem to visit studios and buy crazy synthesizers and team up with individuals like Hanz Myre, who contributed something quite excellent to the band although it is not clear what. This album is near the top of the second craggy peak, "The Golden Age of Dots," a large 6 piece (correct?) team of musicians eventually shattered by its own weight like the Roman empire. Then you have crevices which contain live albums, albums made in four days, as well as work spread elsewhere like Tear Garden.
But at this time, the Dots put out several albums which are so dense that you cannot help but hear something new every time. This is one of those albums.
It sways between frenzied dance music, classical riffs, and drawn out 100% DOT$OUND of time of time of time cranking ever the catapult back and preparing to fire on the last day of the world as conveyed through Korg and Roland language.
This album is very political, spinning fairy tales of captivity and generals and televised debauchery. Do not play it for those who are traumatized by war, as it has many lyrics which move me, a man who has never seen battle, to pain or despair.

This album has one of the best three-song finishes ever achieved by the Dots. I must listen to it again.

My favorite Dots album always changes, and right now.. This is the one. This album has more of a style like Ka-spels Aazydd and Khataclimici China Doll albums but less dark then the two, but not less varied in any way. They really made the violins a constant instrument throughout which really benefits the record, which opened the door for their next masterpiece Any Day Now. The classical sounds were also complimented (strangely) by some industrial noises. Rattlesnake arena would belong more on a skinny puppy album so you can really see where they(puppy) got some inspiration and how many idea's this band had in their prime. Tower 6 is a great intro for whats to come and Our Lady in Kharki is just the right amount of strange. The rest of the album sounds like the Tower or Asylum albums but less synth-poppy and more classical, psychedelic style. A great start for any newcomer, though I would go with 9 lives or CVA just to be safe. The abstract layers may throw some off as it has my friends whom I have tried to play it for:)

I've been a Pink Dots fan since I can't even remember when. Probably 10 years or so. And I never knew this album existed until now, and lemmie tell you...this album is just unbelieveable. It has more of the older sounding instruments that you would expect to hear on the album, "Curse". Except this album is far more atmospheric and abstract. A perfect mixture of both. Songs that are happy and sad simultaneously. I LOVE it! Edward Ka-Spel is, and always will be, a musical genius. Not one bad song on here. Of course you'd never really expect to hear a boring pink dots song anyways. I know everyone that are fans of whatever band always say, "This is a MUST HAVE for fans". But when I say it, I'm damn serious. This really IS a MUST HAVE if your a fan of Ka-Spel/Pink Dots/Tear Garden/MIMIR etc etc...