-=- SHGZ -=-
* Shoegaze * Indie * Post-rock * Grunge * Dream Pop * Ambient * Ethereal *
Artist..: Pale Saints
Album...: The Comforts Of Madness
GENRE....: Indie
STYLE....: Shoegaze, Alternative Rock
LABEL....: Rough Trade SCENE.....: 2015-12-11
BITRATE..: 784 kbps avg STORE.....: 1990-00-00
ENCODER..: FLAC 1.2.1 -8 -V TRACKS....: 11
SIZE.....: 230.7MB SOURCE....: CD
URL..: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Comforts_of_Madness_(album)
- TRACKLIST
1 Way The World Is 2:44
2 You Tear The World In Two 2:59
3 Sea Of Sound 5:47
4 True Coming Dream 2:30
5 Little Hammer 2:22
6 Insubstantial 4:21
7 A Deep Sleep For Steven 3:41
8 Language Of Flowers 2:53
9 Fell From The Sun 4:45
10 Sight Of You 5:37
11 Time Thief 3:26
Total Playtime: 41:05
The Comforts of Madness was the second shoegazer album that I ever purchased.
After listening to Rides Nowhere for a few weeks my interest in the genre sky
rocketed and I needed to hear more of this stuff. Fortunately I wound up
picking up the Pale Saints debut album on a quick and unplanned impulse
purchase. After listening to the album all the way through about twice I
noticed how accessible and easy The Comforts of Madness was, I knew next to
nothing about the band when I purchased the album and after a few listens I
was already humming along with the melodies.
So what exactly makes The Comforts of Madness such a great album? First of
all the music will get stuck in your head instantly. The hazy, mysterious
guitar lines and subtle bass grooves are instantly catchy and accessible. Ian
MastersÆ dreamy voice is buried deep in the mix of the light guitar hooks,
youÆll be humming the vocal melodies but you wonÆt have a clue what youÆre
singing since MastersÆ vocal delivery is so whimsical and soft. Unlike other
shoegazer albums like Loveless or Mezcal Head the guitars donÆt crush you
wish heavy distortion, The Pale Saints take a much more refined approach as
they effortlessly bring elements of dream-pop and rock into the mix. Tracks
such as "You Tear Into the World" and "Fell From the Sun" win you over with
their light hearted melodies and catchy guitar hooks while other tunes grab
your attention because of their crushing despair ("Insubstantial") or vivid
imagery ("Sea of Sound"). Many of the songs on The Comforts of Madness are
similar but itÆs definitely not a one dimensional album.
ItÆs apparent that The Pale Saints took a boatload of influences from bands
such as the Cocteau Twins and The Jesus and Mary Chain. The Comforts of
Madness may not be shoegazers highest achievement but it might be the genres
most accessible album. Ian Masters and the crew successfully combine
dream-pop, rock, pop, and shoegaze all into one mix and come out with a loud
of fuzzy hooks and catchy melodies. The deep textures and whimsical beauty
found on The Comforts of Madness arenÆt very unique or interesting but they
sure as hell are catchy and enjoyable.
- Sputnikmusic
*
Pale Saints made less of an impact in the æ90s than My Bloody Valentine. But
the variety and freshness of their debut album, The Comforts of Madness,
makes it a shoegazing classic that I prefer to Loveless. Pale Saints formed
in Leeds in 1987, and soon left behind jangle-pop roots for darker,
atmospheric sounds. They developed this noisier approach on the marvelously
named EP, Barging Into the Presence of God. Signed to 4AD Records, they found
the perfect label where they could explore and experiment.
ôWay the World Isö churns and rattles, Graeme NaysmithÆs restless guitar
propelling this as the first of the albumÆs faster, ornery songs. Each track
is framed by noise, as if even the quieter songs cannot free themselves from
the clatter. Some find this draws attention to the difference between the
songs produced by John Fryer and those by Gil Norton, but the sequencing
works well, the piston drive of ôYou Tear the World in Twoö harnessing a
softer vocal from bassist Ian Masters, over the driving guitar and Chris
CooperÆs drums.
The songs race along early on, in and out of the industrial moods and tape
sounds. ôSea of Soundsö might have inspired Ride, with a melancholy voice
floating over a stately wash of sonic textures. MastersÆ gentle delivery
plays off the brooding arrangement and highlights its somber mood. Speeding
up, ôTrue Coming Dreamö leaps out of its quiet beginnings, rushing across
another combustive combination as bass, guitar and drums click into a
volatile churning machine.
I have never heard any group with a similar propulsion. Oddly, ôLittle
Hammerö does not pound, but gently brushes the percussion. Foreshadowing the
pop direction the band would take on its next albums, itÆs like a halftime
rest before ôInsubstantial,ö which erupts out of a soft start into what the
band does best: the soft-loud dynamics that the Pixies and Nirvana
popularized for alternative rock. While those bands featured
singer-songwriters who were charismatic personalities that cultivated an
audience, Masters and crew let their songs do the talking.
The squalls which begin and end tracks highlight what makes each song
different, and connects them through NaysmithÆs feedback, effects and
distortion. These segues upset the art-rock ambiance and keep the tone from
becoming too twee or too amplified. This foundation helps statelier songs
like ôA Deep Sleep for Stevenö progress with dignity before the perfectly
pitched ôLanguage of Flowers,ö which hints at the bandÆs affection for Echo
and the Bunnymen.
Pale Saint smartly covers the subject of a previous Revisit. Their version of
Los Angeles outfit OpalÆs ôFell from the Sunö boosts the volume and the pace,
while keeping the ambling arrangement of the original underneath the
loudness.
OpalÆs successor Mazzy Star had a minor hit with Peter BlegvadÆs ôBlue
Flower,ö and the Saints soon covered it in turn. Pale Saints combined the
hazy folk ambiance of Opal and Velvet Underground-inspired bands of the early
æ90s, with a harsher, more experimental tinge that stood out from the likes
of 4AD peers such as Lush. Meriel Barham, who was LushÆs original vocalist,
is credited as backup musician and singer on the Pale SaintsÆ debut, but the
role of singer-songwriter-vocalist remains in MastersÆ control, which boosted
its impact and bolstered its range.
The elegant, mid-tempo ôSight of Youö is a fan favorite that allows MastersÆ
choirboy vocal to linger in a cathedral-like setting of airy, soaring
instruments. It segues neatly into a last fling with the mechanical drumming
that Cooper offers, under MasterÆs steady bass and NaysmithÆs flailing guitar
riffs, jerking into slashing chords. ôTime Thiefö ends with a high-pitched
gnarl that would get howls out of Andrew, the Airedale Terrier I had at the
time.
The Comforts of Madness made it to number 40 on the British charts in 1990.
Barham joined the band full time, and with Gil NortonÆs more accessible
production, subsequently dominated their sound; and the band lost their edge.
Even if In Ribbons (1992) features some of their best songs, their pop turn
led to MastersÆ departure, and the group stalled after the forgettable Slow
Buildings (1994). They eventually collapsed back to the duo of Naysmith and
Cooper, who worked together on various projects, while Barham produces
electronic music under the name Kuchen.
Pale SaintsÆ quirky legacy rests in their debut. As with many bands that
joined a love of trippier music with post-punk, they did not last long. But
The Comforts of Madness is the work of an uncommercial band that could make
forty minutes zoom by and reward repeated plays.
*
Track 9 originally recorded by Opal.
-=- SHGZ -=-
P.S.
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