Customer Reviews

Through the Window Pane

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

For those of you who may not know, the Guillemot is a fascinating, funny little sea bird with a big playful personality that will steal your heart. The band "The Guillemots" shares the same personality traits as the bird it's named after.

This is the debut album from "The Guillemots" and it's nothing short of brilliant. While the previous EP's were at times a little experimental, this album finds a more focused band that has really found their groove and the sound that works best for them. This is a very diverse, well-balanced, cohesive album with a wide range of styles fused into something unique and incredibly amazing.

Music can be a natural form of escape from the doldrums and mundane routines of everyday life. The Guillemots can put a smile on your face and inspire you to live life to the fullest. Just listen to "Trains To Brazil" or "Made-up Lovesong #43" or better yet watch the videos that are included with this CD. Fyfe Dangerfield has so much passion when he sings and performs that you can't do anything but get totally immersed in the music. In my opinion, Fyfe is the only singer that can pick up the torch from Prefab Sprout's Paddy McAloon (who is one of my all time favorite artists/songwriters/vocalists). Whether intentional or not, the piano on "Little Bear" reminds me of the Blue Nile and the vocals on "Come Away With Me" reminds me of Roland Orzabal from Tears for Fears (pick a balad from "Songs from the Big Chair"). This album is not derivative in any way, but has elements that could remind you of your favorite bands or why you just love music in general.

Do yourself a favor and buy this album now! This is an album that you'll need to take your time with. Some of the songs will bowl you over right away and some will be an acquired taste. This is one of those bands that seem to come out of nowhere and you just thank your lucky stars that they exist.

My introduction to The Guillemots was on the inflight entertainment on a long haul Virgin Atlantic flight. I thought their album was fantastic and decided to get it. Simple yet intricately detailed songs with deep, poetic lyrics, and with most songs stretching longer than most regular pop songs, this is an album that demands patience and rapt attention.

Guillemots comprises a multi national quartet; English vocalist/pianist, Canadian double bassist, Scottish percussionist, and Brazilian guitarist, coming together to produce beautiful cinematic epics with electronic swirls, bleeps and effects. A bit like Doves/Bjork meets the Beach Boys. They apparently stirred a bidding frenzy among record labels eager to sign them up and one listen to this shows why.

There's the upbeat pop of `Made-up love song #43', `Annie, let's not wait' (lovely bubbly bassline), `Through the windowpane', `We're here' (with haunting whistles, and `Trains to Brazil'.

For ballads, there's the brooding opening cut `Little bear', `Come away with me', the eerie `If the world ends' (which reminds me a wee bit of Chris Isaak's `Wicked game'), and `Redwings'.

Then, there's the simply stunning `Sao Paulo' (I love the line `Sometimes I could cry for miles), a sweeping 11 minute epic that goes through various moods and movements; Pop, Jazz, Brazilian.

Indescribably beautiful!!!

This is a stunning debut album from the Guillemots and by far the best album I have heard this year. There are occasional nods to Modest Mouse, Arcade Fire and maybe early Peter Gabriel-inspired Genesis in here, but do not get the impression that this is not fresh. The opening five tracks are stunning, especially 'Made-Up Lovesong #43', 'Trains to Brazil' and the achingly beautiful 'Come Away With Me'. A must-buy.

normally when discussing a 'new' band, the first question we tend to ask is, 'who do they sound like?' reference points, sadly, seem to make or break a band, or ultimately determine whether or not we'll like a band, or even worse, whether or not we'll even give them a chance. in this day and age it's next to impossible to find a truly original band. everyone copies whatever the latest 'trend' happens to be, even in beloved indieverse.

the multi-national guillemots (named for the bird that burrows and eats crabs), thankfully, are one of two bands in the last five years i've honestly not been able to say, 'they sound like....' (the arcade fire being the other). are they rock? not really. are they pop? sort of. are they jazz? a bit. are they the dreaded 'indie?' maybe. does fyfe dangerfield sound like james dean bradfield. actually, he does. alot. a lack of a reference point might frustrate some listeners, but hopefully most of us will smile with glee at the prospect of something totally unique.

the album's first single, 'trains to brazil,' is a brilliant single complete with fyfe's howling vocal intro, pianos, a brass section and a chorus as big as montana's big sky. it's difficult not to get swept away. it'd surely make anyone's top ten singles of the year list. the albums two centerpieces, 'redwings' and 'come away with me' are heartbreakers. the former a six-minute, geniune tear-jerker and the great great closing lines 'so i'm leaving my best friend, just for the hell of it, just for the sake of it, but how much i loved you.' the latter a hazy, barely-there song full of fantastic atmospherics that'd make kevin shield proud. the album's titular track is a bit keane-ish as sung by james dean bradfield. 'we're hear' is another rollicking number and 'annie, let's not wait' mixes things up with a bit of a techno-flourish and bootsy collins bass.

'through the windowpane' is full of really, really interesting instrumentation, chord changes, production and vocals. if it sounds a bit schizophrenic, it's not. it's a cohesive album, built by myriad parts, but each serving its purpose in the creation of singular and seminal album.

way to go, gang.

normally when discussing a 'new' band, the first question we tend to ask is, 'who do they sound like?' reference points, sadly, seem to make or break a band, or ultimately determine whether or not we'll like a band, or even worse, whether or not we'll even give them a chance. in this day and age it's next to impossible to find a truly original band. everyone copies whatever the latest 'trend' happens to be, even in beloved indieverse.

the multi-national guillemots (named for the bird that burrows and eats crabs), thankfully, are one of two bands in the last five years i've honestly not been able to say, 'they sound like....' (the arcade fire being the other). are they rock? not really. are they pop? sort of. are they jazz? a bit. are they the dreaded 'indie?' maybe. does fyfe dangerfield sound like james dean bradfield. actually, he does. alot. a lack of a reference point might frustrate some listeners, but hopefully most of us will smile with glee at the prospect of something totally unique.

the album's first single, 'trains to brazil,' is a brilliant single complete with fyfe's howling vocal intro, pianos, a brass section and a chorus as big as montana's big sky. it's difficult not to get swept away. it'd surely make anyone's top ten singles of the year list. the albums two centerpieces, 'redwings' and 'come away with me' are heartbreakers. the former a six-minute, geniune tear-jerker and the great great closing lines 'so i'm leaving my best friend, just for the hell of it, just for the sake of it, but how much i loved you.' the latter a hazy, barely-there song full of fantastic atmospherics that'd make kevin shield proud. the album's titular track is a bit keane-ish as sung by james dean bradfield. 'we're hear' is another rollicking number and 'annie, let's not wait' mixes things up with a bit of a techno-flourish and bootsy collins bass.

'through the windowpane' is full of really, really interesting instrumentation, chord changes, production and vocals. if it sounds a bit schizophrenic, it's not. it's a cohesive album, built by myriad parts, but each serving its purpose in the creation of singular and seminal album.

way to go, gang.

Quite a fluke that I ever heard this Album...I'd never even heard of Guillemots... Then when Fyfe Dangerfield released "She needs me" from Fly Yellow Moon in January 2010 I was bowled over as soon as i heard it on the radio and so my musical odyssey began. The tracks on Through the Window
Pane are everything and more that everybody else has said but that was 2006 and it is late 2011 now and they are still original, still beautiful, still mesmerising and well worth buying and listening to. I can't recommend this album too highly. It endures the test of time and is seriously classy magic.

It's obvious a lot of thought has gone into this album, and I've listened to it on and off since it came out trying to get into it, but ultimately come to accept that I only like half of it, the rest being too ambient droney and not melodic enough. Hopefully their next album will have more actual songwriting like the singles and less experimentalism.

This album is beautifully arranged and in this day and age of slap-dash releases this is a cohesive, studied work of art. An absolutely gorgeous collection of beyond-pop songs. They stretch the concept of the pop song into territories not touched since Jeff Buckley left this world... with maybe a nod to Rufus Wainwright (sans pomp). It is NOT a rock record. It is string-laden singer-songwriter magic that would make a 60's Scott Walker proud and a 30th Century Scott Walker prick up his ears. really really special.

normally when discussing a 'new' band, the first question we tend to ask is, 'who do they sound like?' reference points, sadly, seem to make or break a band, or ultimately determine whether or not we'll like a band, or even worse, whether or not we'll even give them a chance. in this day and age it's next to impossible to find a truly original band. everyone copies whatever the latest 'trend' happens to be, even in beloved indieverse.

the multi-national guillemots (named for the bird that burrows and eats crabs), thankfully, are one of two bands in the last five years i've honestly not been able to say, 'they sound like....' (the arcade fire being the other). are they rock? not really. are they pop? sort of. are they jazz? a bit. are they the dreaded 'indie?' maybe. does fyfe dangerfield sound like james dean bradfield. actually, he does. alot. a lack of a reference point might frustrate some listeners, but hopefully most of us will smile with glee at the prospect of something totally unique.

the album's first single, 'trains to brazil,' is a brilliant single complete with fyfe's howling vocal intro, pianos, a brass section and a chorus as big as montana's big sky. it's difficult not to get swept away. it'd surely make anyone's top ten singles of the year list. the albums two centerpieces, 'redwings' and 'come away with me' are heartbreakers. the former a six-minute, geniune tear-jerker and the great great closing lines 'so i'm leaving my best friend, just for the hell of it, just for the sake of it, but how much i loved you.' the latter a hazy, barely-there song full of fantastic atmospherics that'd make kevin shield proud. the album's titular track is a bit keane-ish as sung by james dean bradfield. 'we're hear' is another rollicking number and 'annie, let's not wait' mixes things up with a bit of a techno-flourish and bootsy collins bass.

'through the windowpane' is full of really, really interesting instrumentation, chord changes, production and vocals. if it sounds a bit schizophrenic, it's not. it's a cohesive album, built by myriad parts, but each serving its purpose in the creation of singular and seminal album.

way to go, gang.