Customer Reviews

Mrs. Dolphin

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

 

 

Overall, this is a fine album. It's quite hard to find at present, as the album was only released in Japan; I picked up a copy a couple years back for about $30 and considered it a reasonable deal. The songs are psychedelic, imaginative, and quite varied. Pale Saints has a knack for intricate guitarwork, catchy melodies, and some very odd lyrics that somehow fit the music well. Half-Life Remembered, in particular, is a fantastic track and I'm surprised that they didn't release it to a wider market. The one minor gripe I have is that the songs don't seem to gel together as well as they might, and as a result the flow of the album is a bit uneven. Still a worthwhile album to own.

The following songs are rated out of a possible 5 stars.

Track 1: The Sight of You: 4.5 stars. Great melodic guitarwork in a dense wall of chords.
Track 2: She Rides the Waves: 2.5 stars. Short, fast-paced, almost punk-sounding.
Track 3: Mother Might: 3 stars. Slow, dreamy, rather weird twilight-zone music.
Track 4: Colours and Shapes: 3.5 stars. Peppy, catchy pop tune.
Track 5: A Deeper Sleep for Steven: 5 stars. Slow, majestic, hymn-like and expansive, it brings to mind a vast cathedral of worshippers. The second-best song on the album.
Track 6: Half-Life, Remembered: 5 stars. I would give this 6 stars, except my scale only goes to 5. :) This version of the song was only released on this CD. It's energetic, rockin', and has a great, trippy conflux of vocals, guitar, and drums (including bongo drum!). Lyrics are enigmatic and thought-provoking. My favorite song from the five Pale Saints albums I own. Best played at high volume while driving in the fast lane with all the windows down.
Track 7: Baby Maker: 4.5 stars. Upbeat, jangly, and danceable.
Track 8: Two Sick Sisters: 3 stars. Slow, weird song, not too interesting.
Track 9: A Revelation: 2.5 stars. Frenetic, fast-paced, but a bit discordant for my taste.
Track 10: The Colour of the Sky: 3 stars. Intensely weird, and more than a bit creepy. The first time you listen to it, you'll be tempted to turn up the volume because it starts out quietly. DON'T. The loudness jumps to 11 on a scale of 1-10 right around 40 seconds in.

It is funny how different each album is and I like them all for different reasons. Yes, "the comforts of madness" is a masterpiece but I personally believe this is their best release. This sounds more pop and accessible than the strong shoegaze sound of The Comforts... It has one song (only available here), 3 songs available on other cd's and then the rest comes from the EP:LP'S. So this is by far the most interesting grouping. Only released as a Japanese Import, this really should have put them on the map if they just released it world wide. I bought mine on Ebay for $8 and free shipping, what a Happy Day. Each time I play it, I turn it up louder.

This hard to find (at correct price) CD is a super deluxe intro to the band. Anyway, it's better to focus on first LP and EPs.