Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Eeyore's party mix - not half bad, April 30, 2002
"The Scavenger Bride" is BTFABG's most concise album in recent years. The songs are as slow and melancholy as ever, but there are no twenty-minute epics. The storyline centers on a tragic, fragile woman imprisoned by the jealousy of several suitors in 1913 Prague. The metaphor is explained in track 10, "The Scavenger's Daughter" as read by Attrition's Martin Bowes. It's horrifying to think that there likely was such a device.Several tracks float in and out on a wave of minor chords entwined. The lineup features some cool guest appearances (Unto Ashes' Michael Laird, Audra's Bret Helm, Spahn Ranch's Athan Maroulis, and Bowes.) Though I miss Julianna Towns' voice, Elysabeth Grant sounds great. Sam skips the vocals and sticks to a fairly menacing wall of synth. Vicki Richards and Julia Kent take a subdued approach with the cello and violin. Lisa Feuer's flute is as appealing as on the last album. Incidentally, what the hell's wrong with another Lisa Feuer photo shoot? She doesn't have a fist growing out of her head or anything. The vocal layering gets overwrought here and there, but it fits. The mood wouldn't be nearly as strong if Black Tape betrayed any humor in their music. The Bride is stuck in a bad situation; I was rooting for her when she finally got a moment of freedom in "Shadow of a Doubt." It's like the really nice, cute girl who dates a bunch of jerks because she's too nice to seek her own happiness. If you like Black Tape, this is a good chapter. If not, heed the warning so you don't have to buy the album and post a one-star gripe.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
DEAD CAN DANCE?, September 3, 2002
NEVER IN A MLLION YEARS SHOULD BTFBG EVER, I SAY AGAIN, EVER BE LIKENED TO DCD. THEIR SOUNDS ARE A UNIVERSE APART. I love BTFBG. BUT... this album sounds just like... well.... BTFBG. Of course those HORRIBLE male vocals of the past are thankfully gone. But in the end THIS SOUNDS JUST LIKE EVEYTHING ELSE "THEY'VE" DONE since The Rope. I've been a big fan since I first discovered BTFBG in the early 90's and have faithfully purchased each new release. I am absolutely STUNNED at how many reviews I've read, many included in the Projekt newsletter, that suggest comparisons to DCD. I'm actually surprised Sam Rosenthal has never mentioned this GLARING DISCREPANCY in his newsletter. As mentioned I am indeed a fan, but I only give this CD 3 stars since it's basically a re-hash of the same old thing they've been doing for years over and over again. Personally I'd really prefer to see some growth in the group.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A good concept album? black tape makes it possible., January 13, 2003
Upon purchasing black for a blue girl's new album, I was unsure to expect. I had liked what I had heard in the MP3 previews and was entranced by earlier work, but I know that a concept album was a tricky thing to accomplish artfully. All my fears were put to rest as soon as I held The Scavenger Bride in my hands. I was not able to listen to it right away, so, as is my custom, I acquainted myself with the lyrics and story, lost myself in the narrative of the bride's undoing and emotional renewal. (It was then that I realized why lyrics for the new songs were not posted online...it would just not have made proper sense if one had not obtained the whole CD.) The most interesting thing about the album was that pieces of the tale were printed alongside and within songs, pieces of the tale that weren't necessarily in the song, but were there to accompany the other lyrics, the music or move along the allegory. This made listening to the album for a first time like tasting sweets blindfolded...I know it would please, but I wasn't sure in what way or what flavour would come next.
The mix of purely instrumental and then pieces with vocals was lovely...many of the purely musical pieces do not needs words at all, the notes have a language all their own. I don't like to play favourites, as the entire album is wonderful, but I do have songs I am particularly fond of. "kinski" I adored when I first heard it, and actually owning it on CD was also a joy. "shadow of a doubt" reminded me of a soliloquy in a theatre performance, the desperation of Elysabeth's vocals plucking every heart-string. "bastille day, 1961" was also exceptionally beautiful, brooding and regretful in a way that haunted the listener for hours afterwards. The piano solos in several songs add a dramatic and theatre-like quality to many of the tracks. (But all the songs have a great deal of strength, especially the ones available for previewing on MP3.com.)
Even just looking at this album ascetically, it was exceptional. Being an artist and a photographer, I appreciated the care and obvious work put into the photos and overall presentation. Sam and Elysabeth, as always, look stunning and yet very human. The poems are beautifully written and the story can be taken literally or metaphorically (I prefer the latter), with a great deal of meaning to be taken away.
It never ceases to amaze me how much staying power black tape for a blue girl has. In all these years, in 8 albums, they manage to keep me entranced and in wonder of their talent, in all aspects, musically of course, but also lyrically (reads like poetry) and artistically (I'm sure I could learn a thing or two from Sam and Lisa in terms of design and photography.)
Keep up the good work, black tape, as you carry the flag very well and give the overall ""Gothic"" genre a good name.
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