Minor Shadows

One Mile North | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 6, 2003)
• Original Release Date: 2003
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Ba Da Bing
• ASIN: B000092Q6B
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #555,934 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars heady ambient album from lesser-known group, December 4, 2005

By 

somethingexcellent (Lincoln, NE United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Minor Shadows (Audio CD)

Contrary to the opinion of some, it's not really easy to make good ambient music. Sure, anyone can slap together some droning tones and reverbed guitar and call it ambient, but sparse ambient music that actually resonates and triggers something within a listener isn't something that is so easily done. Minor Shadows is one of those discs that makes it sound easy, though. I can honestly say that this is one of the best ambient releases that I've heard this year, and actually for some time. On only their second album, the trio has settled into a warm bed of sonics that sounds something like the best work of Labradford mixed with the quieter moments of Godspeed You Black Emperor.

One of the interesting things about the disc is that the group has managed to create a rather lush record with a fairly simple set of sounds. It's never overwhelming, but with guitars, bass, some electronic loops and samples and analogue keyboards, the 7 track release still manages to envelop the listener. The opening track of "In 1983 He Loved To Fly" opens with the simple sound of somewhat whistling while birds chirp in the background. As the birds chirp on, a deep-reverbed guitar melody drifts in over it all and some analogue keyboards that sort of mimic the bird sounds layer in around it. It's deceivingly subtle, and once the crux of the track is going, there are more elements to it than you realize. Broken down the middle with a subtle sound-sample of someone talking about flying, the track is melancholy, but builds just perfectly as it rises even more during the second half with a rich lower register of keyboards and bass.

That's a somewhat lengthy description for just one track, but that's what happens with good ambient music. Rather than becoming simple background music, it pulls you in more and begs for you to listen to each element a little closer. "Life Indoors" again mixes warm layers of analogue keyboards with pretty guitar melodies and a murmuring heartbeat sound for a quiet rhythm, while "Return To From Where We Came" is all stretched keyboard tones and backwards reverbed drones that hover and shift like whispy clouds passing overhead. "The Sick" puts just a little bit more urgency into the landscape, building with a guitar melody that feels a bit more tense than anything else while haunting keyboards linger. Everything winds together ever so slightly, only releasing in small fragments as taps of hi-hat patter and guitars sound like they want to build into a frenzy.

One could argue that the group is a bunch of masochists because they never let loose with a big flourish, but that's part of the joy with the release. Other than a couple sly hints, they never lead you into thinking that they're going to blow the roof off the place, instead opting for a 50-minute album of warm and steady tracks that shroud you up like a thick fog. Like most great music of this nature, I know I'll enjoy it even more when the cool weather arrives again (something about my equating warm drones and guitars with cool weather), but the fact that I found it so good while listening to it over and over again in 90 degree temperatures should say something.

(from almost cool music reviews)

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An excellent album, if also an inconsistent one, February 20, 2005

By 

The Almighty Sommy (Livonia, MI, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Minor Shadows (Audio CD)

My introduction to 1 Mile North was through their debut album, Glass Wars. That album, I felt, was a consistent, gorgeous album, even if it was very restrained. The guitar melodies and (almost nonexistant) sequencing made for a gorgeous musical affair, drenched in reverb and stripped-down (but nontheless beautiful) production..

Minor Shadows, on the other hand, is a far more grandiose album. The duo's incredible collection of vintage sequencers and Moog synthesizers comes out to play here. The opener, "In 1983 He Loved to Fly," is easily one of the most cinematic tracks I've heard in years. Unfortunately, the opener is so strong that it easily overshadows the rest of the album. Still, there are a number of other memorable moments from the album, such as the stirring "Black Lines" and the pensive "Return to From Where We Came." The opener, however, is absolutely what makes the album, and is worth the price of the entire CD.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars your ears will thank you, June 1, 2003

By 

tina (bangor, maine) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Minor Shadows (Audio CD)

this album is super good. after hearing mp3s on the band's site i hooked up with the full thing.. if you like to blend ambient with indierock these guys won't disappoint...