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 Masters’ dreamy voice is buried deep in the mix of the light guitar hooks, you’ll be humming the vocal melodies but you won’t have a clue what you’re singing since Masters’ vocal delivery is so whimsical and soft. Unlike other shoegazer albums like
Loveless or
Mezcal Head the guitars don’t 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 it’s definitely not a one dimensional album.
It’s 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 aren’t very unique or interesting but they sure as hell are catchy and enjoyable.
