Five Roses

Miracle Fortress

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 22, 2007)
• Original Release Date: May 21, 2007
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Secret City Records
• ASIN: B000P46QFE
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #102,872 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Pras Rajagopalan, Exclaim!, May 2007
The set up provides a lulling, hypnotic heartbeat to the dreamy atmospherics... When you allow yourself to be enveloped in Five Roses' affecting fog, you'll find yourself wistfully enthralled and completely won over.

Product Description
Miracle Fortress is the brainchild of Graham Van Pelt, a Montreal-based multi-instrumentalist and vocalist who in this incarnation builds wall of sound pop songs in the tradition of Brian Wilson and Brian Eno. Originally from Stratford, Ontario, Graham is also a member of Montreal's Think About Life (Alien8 Recordings). He began to record as Miracle Fortress after co-founding the multi-functional art space/venue/studio space Friendship Cove with local artist Jack Dylan in Montreal's Griffintown in late 2005. A 5 song EP, Watery Grave, led to a collaboration with Secret City Records in 2006 to record a full length LP. Graham spent a larger part of the year building into the Friendship Cove studio and recording the Miracle Fortress debut, taking time out to perform as a solo act opening for bands like Love is All, Vic Chestnut, and locals Sunset Rubdown and Islands. Five Roses was completed in January 2007 and is an ambitious and engaging record of pop songs that echo My Bloody Valentine and the Beach Boys alike. It will be released in May 2007. Sunset Rubdown's Jordan Robson-Cramer (who also plays on the B-side to the first single), Telefauna's Adam Waito, and SS Cardiacs' Jessie Stein have recently joined Graham in the live lineup of Miracle Fortress.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Addictive atmospheric beauty, September 3, 2007

By	M. D. Chitwood "GAIndieBear" (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I caught "Have You Seen In Your Dreams" on XM Verge a couple months ago, and wrote down title and artist with ! indicating download the entire album. Turns out that is not even close to the best song on it. "Fortune" is one of the most addictive tunes I've heard in quite a while; the perfectly executed guitar fuzz on this song is reminiscent of Neutral Milk Hotel. While all the Brian Wilson comparisons are valid, Graham Van Pelt has created an atmosphere here that takes me to a place I haven't visited since MBV's Loveless. Not that Miracle Fortress is shoegaze at all...it just has that hypnotic quality, not unlike "Silver" by Jesu. There's not a lemon on this disc, and to call it Indie Pop or Chamber Pop, I think is doing it a great disservice; it's simply more ambitious than that. You just have to experience it. I'd suggest downloading "Fortune," "Have You Seen In Your Dreams," "Next Train," & "Blasphemy" if you just want a taste. I highly recommend this disk; everyone I've turned onto it has been floored.

5.0 out of 5 stars Lucky to have found this!!, July 16, 2009

By	SeVeReD (Oceanside, CA) - See all my reviews

Was at my local record store in '07 (Lou's in SD) and heard this at their 'listening station'. Picked it up and it's been a favorite ever since. Here I am in '09 still playing this album and now I'm looking to see if he's done anything more..
This is truly innovative rock.

5.0 out of 5 stars A True Sleeper of a Record, March 30, 2009

By	E. J. Schultz (Milwaukee, WI USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The other reviews hint at what you'll find with this deceptively beautiful sleeper of a record. Lush, layered electronic atmospheric pop that is absolutely disarming. This disk seems to fall into the mental 'filing space' of other bands that I have come across that evoke the same impression with me - I call it "Narcotic Pop". The kind of music whose gentle lulling minor key melodies and layered electronic soundscapes, accompanied by traditional accoustic instrumentations, result in a style of pop that is amost sedative-like. Sounds great on headphones, or on a TRUE quality stereo system. The kind of music that evokes that sensation of partial consciousnes you have just prior to falling asleep. The other reviews hint at 'shoegaze' or the inevitable MBV reference points, and I suppose those are valid enough. If you are reading these reviews and considering purchasing it, you really can't go wrong - it truly is an accomplished and beautiful record. For those who have this record and are considering other bands that fall into this space, you should consider: Radio Dept., Softlightes, Now its Overhead.