Customer Reviews

Remnants of a Deeper Purity

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

from the dark vocals that sudeenly end on the first track then dissipate into the sounds of an emty room with an old piano being played by some long past spirit barely seen through the curtains whipping in the wind in a cold forgotten chamber, to the ethereal ghostlike female vocals on the second track that nearly put you in a trance-lfe state alongside the mournful cellos, Remnants of A Deeper Purity will lull you into a state of dark introspection that will last for years. you will begin hearing the songs, when youre not listening to them and will yearn to play them once more. If you enjoy portishead, rasputina, or switchblade symphony or just grand classical music touched by the darkest hand of Hell, then rained upon like the gusts that befall Englands coasts, obtain this CD and be entranced by all its gothic and spirit moving essences for all time. When an album like this has the chance to move one's soul so much it deserves a little praise & recognition. Flawless!

Black Tape For A Blue Girl have always been one of-if not the-saddest bands I've ever heard. It's dark and lush, depressing and lovely, haunting and beautiful, mournful and mesmerizing; and that's not even mentioning the lyrics. Cellos and violins are the main instruments used, but when they include the piano everything sounds like it's taken from another dimension I wish I could live in. Also, electronics and harmoniums are used to give certain songs a more heavenly feel. I know what you're thinking, only nine songs? Remember, quality over quanity my friend. Besides, these nine songs add up to nearly 80 minutes; you definately get your moneys worth. One song in particular, "For You Will Burn Your Wings Upon The Sun" (you think the name's long enough?), is 26 minutes long. It's by far the highlight of the CD and shows the band at their very best. After the singing stops, the violins come in and sound like they're bleeding with sadness. Not a whole lot of listeners are gonna have the patience to sit through it, their loss though. The first four are easily the best. "Redifine Pure Faith" is another beutiful song. The piano is really haunting and the lyrics (as usual), display torn love at it's most painful. "Fin De Siécle" (I don't know either) is one of their more solid songs, everything just clicks. "With My Sorrows" displays the electronics and reminds me of Dead Can Dance for some reason. After that, everything goes downhill. The rest of the songs aren't bad, they just look worse then they are after having the better songs first. The title track was ironically the worst one here. The acoustic guitar is a welcome change of pace, but the song never really takes off. "Fitful" and "I Have No More Answers" are the better ones off the later side of the disc. Like I said though, it's not that they're horrible, they're just not as good. This is a really long disc filled with mourning and beauty topped off with beautiful vocals. And if that's not enough reason for you to buy it (like you need anymore), the packaging will sell you for sure.

I think this is one of the more underrated albums of the 90s. This is because they're pretty unhip to listen to, as most people (rock critics) view them as bombastic, moping goths. I'll have to admit that, yes, they can get pretty maudlin at times (which is why I gave it four-stars). However, the strength of this album is in the arrangements/composition, coming from mastermind Sam Rosenthal. Most detractors of this album focus on the vocals, but they fail to realize that the majority of this 70-plus minute record is instrumental, or near-instrumental. Of course, if you only listen to, say, Pavement, then you'll probably turn Black Tape off, but if you like moody music with good arrangements (you know, violins, keyboards, next-to-no guitar) try it.

"Remnants of a Deeper Purity" contains the most pleasing music that I have heard in years. I am a fan of Medieval 'gothic' style music; however Sam Rosenthal and his host of talented musicians have defined the Neoclassic genre. This display of musical talent is blended so that it is an invitation to fall in love with images. I am an artist, and I find the beautiful vocals and violins so inspiring that I can actually paint in new forms and color palette. I had so despaired with the world of music except the classics that I felt that the 21st century had nothing to offer. I own 2 CDs by BLACK TAPE FOR A BLUE GIRL and both are diferent and rare. "Remnants", to me represents a true revival in music that we non-musician, artist types are hungry for. Superb job, Mr.Rosenthal!
Sincerely,
Allen Kratzer
Auburn, Alabama, USA

I'm glad that I enjoy music from any and all genres, as long as it's good or great. Some might underestimate that, but it does take an open mind to have a music collection of genuine variety. Remnants of a Deeper Purity is a different, special album full of beautifully-dark, atmospheric textures of gothic classical music from beginning to end. I'm not a huge fan of goth or opera, but Black Tape for a Blue Girl really created something profound musically here. Anyone could try the first two songs to see if they like it, but to the hopeless romantics and classical fans out there, you are definetely advised to give the whole album a listen from beginning to end at least once, and then you can pay it forward as well.

This is my first BTFBG CD. I find it more contemplative than depressing. Sure, its got the standard melancholy lyrics. But the music is truly the standout element of this CD. As I listen I can imagine driving in the dark, long distance, alone with only my thoughts and this music to keep me company. This CD works so well because it does what music is supposed to do, alter your emotional condition. You've got to hear this CD from beginning to end. You don't have to be a 'goth' to appreciate the beautiful music on this release. I will certainly check out more releases by this band. If you like ambient or electronic music you should get a kick out of this one. The sound play between the vocals, electronics and acoustic instruments is fantastic. One could say you could ditch the 'goth' tag and refer to it as modern classical. Perhaps future generations will think of BTFBG that way.

A pleading for the truth of a deeper understanding in the form of neo'classical music, Remnants Of A Deeper Purity is the masterwork Black Tape For A Blue Girl has been promising to deliver. While previous works established this group as a forerunner in the ethereal/darkwave genre through Sam Rosenthal's eloquent composition, remarkable atmospheric expression, and introspectively direct lyrics, with this offering, music and thematic concept unify in a brilliant display of expressively powerful art that cries out for the beauty of the human spirit to shine through the suffocating mist of deceit and cruelty. Rosenthal, along with his talented ensemble of fellow musicians and vocalists, summon the desperate yearnings of a tormented and forlorn soul lamenting faded beauty to conjure repressed emotions conveyed in chamber music orchestrations of haunting, romantic, and poetic motion.

"a beauty haunts me, an encompassing embrace.
no more lies. no more lies.
the vulture has poisoned my garden
fear, insecurities, shaped my actions.
redefine pure faith for me."

The sweeping movements of this music flow into each other, forming an ocean of sound rich in emotive depth and sequential beauty. Rosenthal's synth foundations and ambient backdrops are his most spectacular yet (witness the gentle ethereal pulse of "wings tattered, fallen", and the subtly dynamic wave-like gothic flow of "with my sorrows"), and his delicate melodies float as dreams delivered by soft whispers. For Remnants..., he has come into his own as a creator of powerful orchestrations, as these songs rise and subside in the reflection of the human emotions of which his lyrics speak. The dynamics of Black Tape For A Blue Girl's music have never been this consistently effective, and Sam's words have reached a depth of emotional perception and sincerity that superbly echoes the tragic frailty of existence.

"if we could reconstruct ourselves from a thousand bloody fragments, would the knives still tear a gaping hole through the words we thought were truth?"

Violins and cellos swirl as spirits granted reprieve from their prisons of flesh, dancing over, under, around and in-between washes of synth, fragile piano, and lightly strummed guitars. The twenty'seven minute "for you will burn your wings upon the sun" is an epic representation of the overwhelming power of this music, as Oscar Herrera's passionate cries of bitterness and betrayal evoke an astounding violin/cello interplay as eulogy for desecrated faith. Herrera is particularly dramatic during "With My Sorrows" and the title track, his voice rich with intense feeling that discovers perfect harmony with the accompanying musical passages. Angelic enchantress Lucian Casselman's exquisite voice glides over Rosenthal's floating, ethereal, sea'of'tranquility synths in "fin de siecle", "wings tattered, fallen", and "I have no more answers" in a gorgeous portrayal of tenderness through realizations reached in the hold of heartache. Herrera and Casselman deliver outstanding performances throughout this work, yet when their services are not required, such as the preciously tender piano/synth instrumental "again, to drift", the results remain entirely captivating.

This is music of the inner spirit's conversion towards a truer understanding of the passions that inspire the blossoming of life's potential. It is the passage from selfish desire into an embrace of the wholeness of life that awaits on the other side of emotional transition. "Redefine pure faith" calls out for this truth to reveal itself through the haze of past lies, and allow for the soul's ascension to higher appreciations of life experience. It is an album of coming to terms with what has been done in the effort to achieve an understanding and affection that will ultimately restore faith in the hopelessly tormented and lost soul. There must be a way to make peace with our misguided pasts and inflicted wounds so that we may discover a purity of life's beauty, at last becoming one with its essence in a perpetual embrace.

"here I stand
all of me before your eyes
no more lies. no more lies.
just me. pure me.
just me. real me."

Black Tape For A Blue Girl has created a work of vast expressiveness in the scope of beautiful, passionate, and exquisitely atmospheric music. Remnants Of A Deeper Purity, while firmly in the embrace of melancholic introspection, reveals the glow of thousands of spirits awakening in unison to a profound realization of life's grandeur. The descent into agonies and sorrows of the soul must be acknowledged to achieve this transition, for the radiance of a new inner dawn to fill the spirit. Remnants Of A Deeper Purity is a fantastic and compelling musical effort that carefully studies the fragments of the past to learn of a new beginning towards a life of a deeper meaning.

I still don't really understand why anyone, except a mansonite, would not like this cd. Rather than being an embarassment, as some said, to the music genre, I feel it adds. Yes, I absolutely love Cocteau twins, but unless your trying too hard to be goth, it's a good change in the sense of ethereal.
This album has a very chamber sound, this is strangely contributed by the keyboards. I guess some of the music on the synths would be a little easy to play, but as one musician commented "Keep it simple, stupid."
With that said, I'm not going to tell people they have to hear it because if they don't they aren't cool enough. Instead, I say it's a really good album, but if you don't like it, then shut up and let those who do, like it...
So if you are thinking about buying it, listen to it on your computer, mabey borrow it from someone. What I'm trying to get across is that, don't buy if your not sure. I recomend it to everyone though. There are mixed reviews about this band. I love them personaly.

The concept of Black Tape and the glowing reviews...enticed me to purchase this CD. The very first minute that it spun in the player utterly mortified me. I suddenly understood why so many people laugh at the Goth movement---this is what they imagine Goth IS--- all minor chords and self-absorbed, adolescent, shoe-gazing angst expressed in such shallowly self-conscious prose that it makes your toes curl. OUCH! We're talking pure cliche here.

Any self-respecting old-school Goth would cringe at this contrived, pretentious tripe that reaches its absolute zenith (or nadir?) with "For you will burn your wings upon the sun"--- how could anybody possibly take himself seriously while singing forbodingly, "I demand you return all the love I gave to you, how can I ever trust again?.....I loved you so desperately..." Goth is supposed to be largely about pain, but don't inflict pain on yourself by purchasing this... You want good, moody, atmospheric Goth? Try "This Mortal Coil," "The Moon & the Melodies," or "Love Spirals Downward". Forget BTFABG.

Black Tape for a Blue Girl is an acquired taste. Old school Goths don't think much of them which I can understand, it's like Black Tape is playing up to the Goth stereotypes but I don't think that's intentional. The group is okay they just gotta stop Sam Rosenthal from singing cause that guy sounds like my cat after I stepped on it's tail by mistake. It's a sound I never want to hear ever ever again. And though I give Sam his props in whatever else he does with the group "Dude don't do vocals!" Don't do vocals ever ever ever again! Whenever I hear Sam's voice on the other Black Tape cd's I just skip the track. When I want to hear a grown man whine, I'll listen to Earth Wind & Fire. They at least sound good. Other than Sammy boy, this cd is pretty good...well okay. Like the tracks when no one is really singing the most.