Life in a Bubble Can Be Beautiful

Red Stars Theory | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 7, 1999)
• Original Release Date: September 7, 1999
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Touch & Go Records
• ASIN: B00000JY26
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #296,107 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

(TG197CD)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful and hypnotic opiate..., December 15, 2007

By 

A Pilgrim (San Jose, Ca United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Life in a Bubble Can Be Beautiful (Audio CD)

This album is a wonderful piece to play late at night. For several years I played it while falling to sleep, which is something I rarely do, since most music is too distracting for me. However, this album can be listened to actively, but it seems to carry an even greater affect when played in the background for atmosphere.

Vocals are few and far in-between, but when sung they are low and breathy, almost like something you would hear in a low-key smoke filled music lounge. The guitar passages are delicate, simple, often have a high level reverberation, and are frequently repeated. The percussion is often absent, and when present is very minimal and filled with spaces of silence. Then there are string sections scattered about in a few of the songs, these are typically used to add a layer of droning mystery and pathos. Finally, the artists tastefully employ sound distortion, sound samples, and other effects; these contribute complexity and mood, and do not detract from the album. Often the effects have a fuzzy, warm, or warbling quality.

All of these qualities perfectly capture this band's view of life in a bubble: warm, narcoleptic, insulated, somewhere between conscious and unconscious, and vaguely conscious of the outside world (hence electronic effects that sound like heavily distorted radio signals). But there's more, this album portrays the bubble as something of beauty, but something that also carries deep currents of darkness and mystery.

I highly recommend this album. Great for late night activity, moments of solitude and reflection, or just an urge to listen to trippy, somber, low-key music.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very nice, October 30, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Life in a Bubble Can Be Beautiful (Audio CD)

Mr. Green hits the drums like the god of drums as usual. Real nice, sometimes trippy music here. Want to know what the members of Modest Mouse do on their spare time? Buy this CD and Sharpen Your Teeth, by Ugly Casanova. It's all good.

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Why Don't You Already Own This Lovely CD?, August 24, 2000

By 

"peahead23" (Ohio USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Life in a Bubble Can Be Beautiful (Audio CD)

! Red Stars Theory boys and girls, RED STARS THEORY! Go buy it now!!!!! The CD titled Life in a Bubble Can Be Beautiful is the most visceral musical experience I've had since discovering Mogwai. Layer upon layer of mellow trance inducing melodies, violins, cellos, melodic bass much like old school Cure bass, and the guitar, that lovely guitar sound, heavenly yet discordant, like fairies colliding into each other. My only complaint about this album are the occassional male vocals, they are not good, not bad, but definitely not worthy of singing over top this beautiful music. Most of these songs can and should stand on their own without vocals. The one song containing female vocals works though. #3 Parts Per Million I think it's called clenches my gut, brings tears to my eyes, chokes me up, every single time. A beautiful CD for Mogwai, Prolapse, Ativin lovers or anyone who wants to have an outerbody experience.