Customer Reviews

In the Russet Gold of This Vain Hour

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

 

 

What can I say about In the Russet Gold of This Vain Hour? It is simply beautiful, tear-inducing, dreamily gorgeous. The Autumns succeed again in hooking us with sweet melodies and sweeping vocals. Producer Simon Raymonde of the Cocteau Twins has done an amazing job of bringing out the band's true sound and nature, something I only thought was evident during their live performances. The most beautiful track is undoubtedly "Bicycle", with it's swirling guitars and vocals like a warm misty rain on a spring day. If you are a fan of beautiful, dreamy music, In the Russet Gold of This Vain Hour by the Autumns is your ticket.

This album is a complete departure from the first release. But, it still delivers well. A darker, more dismal recording, they still manage to rise above the ordinary and permeate the slumbering mind. I listen to this record often, and it has become such a big part of my life. Of all their catalogue, this is my favorite. It is not as spacious as the first release, but the songs are more meaningful and emotional this time out.

They are still the best band in the world.

ITRGOTVH is a monumental album. What few people seem to realize is that 90% of the album is plainly a guitar straight into an amplifier with a touch of reverb. If you were expecting Angel Pool part2, you should be getting every other dreampop band in L.A.'s new release. The Autumns are exploring new territory with this album and have had the guts to quit hiding behind effects and overdubs. i find the clarity of these tunes a perfect complement to the haziness of Angel Pool and SASP. While this album hugely lacks any "rawk!" songs like "eskimo swin" and "rose catcher" it has "witch hazel" and "oriel" how could anyone complain! the songs are getting better and better as the autumns move along... the vocals are FLAWLESS, the bass is overwhelming, and "bicycle" is one of the most original things i have heard since "to here knows when" by My bloody Valentine. buy this album

Along with My Bloody Valentine--Loveless, The Angel Pool was the first album I'd ever heard to have this beautiful, ethereal, distortion and effects ridden sound to it, which is often referred to as shoegaze or dream-pop. Since then I immersed myself in the music of slowdive, ride, lush, the cocteau twins, etc. But The Angel Pool is still my favorite album.

3 stars may be a bit low, but I wanted to express my discontent with this album. It seems The Autumns have gone the way of other shoegaze bands like Ride or Lush, in that they grow into a progressively more pop-oriented sound--one that is much less engaging. This album misses all the beautiful waves of distortion that make up the Angel Pool. Many of the songs are still very well written--Boy with the Aluminum Stilts, and the title track are two of the most interesting to me.

Much ado was made of the fact that Simon Raymonde was producing the album. But the production is actually the weakest part of this release. The vocals are simply mixed way too high for this style of music. And, on the subject of vocals, the singer seems to be really intent on wringing every last drop of emotion from his voice, to rather unnecessary extremes. The Autumns music is already so emotional, that the singer doesn't need to over do it. He sounds like he's trying to be Thom Yorke in many occasions (a very trendy predilection these days, but an unsucessful one for anyone who is not, in fact, Thom Yorke).

The emotion is still genuine and touching at times, but without all the distortion it can also be just plain embarrassing to listen to. Perhaps I went into this album with too much of a bias--I wanted another "The Angel Pool" and I got pop. It can be a very good album on its own merit, but this new sound is disappointing to me.

If you have heard Angel Pool, then you will absolutely love this CD. It is an awesome follow up with more UK, Radiohead style rock. More Great lyrics and music from the Autumns. For those true fans make sure to get their other EP's and singles, they have extra tracks that aren't on their two major release album's. If you like Radiohead, or love Angel pool, you'll love this.

Far from being "Angel Pool part II" (which would have been okay too), _In The Russet Gold Of This Vain Hour_ is very creatively produced by Simon Raymonde (Cocteau Twins bass player extraordinaire, and my musical hero) in such a way that the songs' unique melodies are structured and tiered in a sort of mathematical elegance. Piano and strings are lovingly interwoven with the guitar-bass-drums for kind of a classic feel. The sound is startlingly original, and the songs all flow into one another quite beautifully. The whole thing is amazingly cohesive, and a terrific success. They have gained, and will continue to gain, increasing recognition because of this album, and most deservedly so.

As a sidenote, it's interesting to note the resemblance between this sound and that of the Czars, another band which Simon has worked with. An influence? Possibly. I saw the Czars at South By Southwest in Austin, and they were terrific, as were the Autumns of course, even without any rehearsal whatsoever. And I got to meet my idol, too! :-)

just borrowed this cd from a friend of mine not expecting much...and was blown away. They don't get much better than this. Very powerful music. The guitar work is haunting. The singing is amazing. just when i was loosing faith in music today...

After hearing the Autumns play most of the new stuff at Trees last November (might I add, that was an orgasmic show!), I had been anxiously awaiting the release of "In the Russet Gold of This Vain Hour." Following a long and almost unbearable delay, I got the album in the mail a few days ago. Wow! While it does not transport me to the dream land that "The Angel Pool" did, it's a stunning album nonetheless. The Raymonde influence is apparent, and that's not a bad thing. But I completely agree with "So Cal" that the strings were unnecessary! I pouted when I heard them on a few of the tracks. But don't let that stop you from purchasing the album; it's by far one of the best releases in recent times. I love how as always, the song titles reflect perfectly the mood of the songs they name. My favorite tracks are "Unfolding and Fading" and "Bicycle." Too bad "Lotus Leaves" and "Garlands" (an *excellent* cover) couldn't be included on the album....

I have been fortunate enough to have absorbed five live performances of most of these songs. This albums captures the magic.... but... some of the additional insturmentation introduced by Simon and company is beyond necessary. The effects laden e-bowed guitar goes way beyond the power of strings... why use strings at all? I'm certain I will listen to this disc repeatedly for about a year before I remove it from the tray.

I guess that anybody who would claim that this is basically in the same vein as The Angel Pool is mistaken. The Autumns have drifted slightly from the extremely dreamy sounds they developed with Andy Prickett and have created more of a steady balance between general pop structure, dreamlike sounds and possibly even radio friendly play-ability (that is a stretch though) on this album. I love the album, but be sure when you get it to put your pre-conceived notions away and treat it like it was the first thing they have ever done, you won't be disappointed.