For their sixth full-length, Black Tape for a Blue Girl offer up their most atmospheric and orchestral work to date. Picking up where 1993's This Lush Garden Within left off, composer and keyboardist Sam Rosenthal and comp... more »any execute a dark, moody, and emotion-drenched series of ambient soundscapes brought to life by Oscar Herrera's powerful vocals and the stirring string duo of Vicki Richards (violin) and Mera Roberts (cello). Typical of Black Tape's albums, Remnants' lyrics deal mostly with passionate--indeed, often overwrought--manifestoes about love and honesty, but what lingers in the memory is the stark beauty of the music, nowhere more evident than on the disc's 26-minute opus, "For You Will Burn Your Wings upon the Sun." A textural marvel, it rises on the wings of Richards's haunting violin and swoops down to perch on Rosenthal's gloomy, muted ambiance before taking flight again amid an epic symphony of neoclassical bombast. Worth it for this track alone. --Steve Landau« less
For their sixth full-length, Black Tape for a Blue Girl offer up their most atmospheric and orchestral work to date. Picking up where 1993's This Lush Garden Within left off, composer and keyboardist Sam Rosenthal and company execute a dark, moody, and emotion-drenched series of ambient soundscapes brought to life by Oscar Herrera's powerful vocals and the stirring string duo of Vicki Richards (violin) and Mera Roberts (cello). Typical of Black Tape's albums, Remnants' lyrics deal mostly with passionate--indeed, often overwrought--manifestoes about love and honesty, but what lingers in the memory is the stark beauty of the music, nowhere more evident than on the disc's 26-minute opus, "For You Will Burn Your Wings upon the Sun." A textural marvel, it rises on the wings of Richards's haunting violin and swoops down to perch on Rosenthal's gloomy, muted ambiance before taking flight again amid an epic symphony of neoclassical bombast. Worth it for this track alone. --Steve Landau
"from the dark vocals that sudeenly end on the first track then dissipate into the sounds of an emty room with an old piano being played by some long past spirit barely seen through the curtains whipping in the wind in a cold forgotten chamber, to the ethereal ghostlike female vocals on the second track that nearly put you in a trance-lfe state alongside the mournful cellos, Remnants of A Deeper Purity will lull you into a state of dark introspection that will last for years. you will begin hearing the songs, when youre not listening to them and will yearn to play them once more. If you enjoy portishead, rasputina, or switchblade symphony or just grand classical music touched by the darkest hand of Hell, then rained upon like the gusts that befall Englands coasts, obtain this CD and be entranced by all its gothic and spirit moving essences for all time. When an album like this has the chance to move one's soul so much it deserves a little praise & recognition. Flawless!"
Amazing.......
David Baker | Nosgoth | 05/31/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Black Tape For A Blue Girl have always been one of-if not the-saddest bands I've ever heard. It's dark and lush, depressing and lovely, haunting and beautiful, mournful and mesmerizing; and that's not even mentioning the lyrics. Cellos and violins are the main instruments used, but when they include the piano everything sounds like it's taken from another dimension I wish I could live in. Also, electronics and harmoniums are used to give certain songs a more heavenly feel. I know what you're thinking, only nine songs? Remember, quality over quanity my friend. Besides, these nine songs add up to nearly 80 minutes; you definately get your moneys worth. One song in particular, "For You Will Burn Your Wings Upon The Sun" (you think the name's long enough?), is 26 minutes long. It's by far the highlight of the CD and shows the band at their very best. After the singing stops, the violins come in and sound like they're bleeding with sadness. Not a whole lot of listeners are gonna have the patience to sit through it, their loss though. The first four are easily the best. "Redifine Pure Faith" is another beutiful song. The piano is really haunting and the lyrics (as usual), display torn love at it's most painful. "Fin De Siécle" (I don't know either) is one of their more solid songs, everything just clicks. "With My Sorrows" displays the electronics and reminds me of Dead Can Dance for some reason. After that, everything goes downhill. The rest of the songs aren't bad, they just look worse then they are after having the better songs first. The title track was ironically the worst one here. The acoustic guitar is a welcome change of pace, but the song never really takes off. "Fitful" and "I Have No More Answers" are the better ones off the later side of the disc. Like I said though, it's not that they're horrible, they're just not as good. This is a really long disc filled with mourning and beauty topped off with beautiful vocals. And if that's not enough reason for you to buy it (like you need anymore), the packaging will sell you for sure."
Full bodied Neoclassicism
Allen Kratzer | Auburn, AL United States | 02/20/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
""Remnants of a Deeper Purity" contains the most pleasing music that I have heard in years. I am a fan of Medieval 'gothic' style music; however Sam Rosenthal and his host of talented musicians have defined the Neoclassic genre. This display of musical talent is blended so that it is an invitation to fall in love with images. I am an artist, and I find the beautiful vocals and violins so inspiring that I can actually paint in new forms and color palette. I had so despaired with the world of music except the classics that I felt that the 21st century had nothing to offer. I own 2 CDs by BLACK TAPE FOR A BLUE GIRL and both are diferent and rare. "Remnants", to me represents a true revival in music that we non-musician, artist types are hungry for. Superb job, Mr.Rosenthal!
Sincerely,
Allen Kratzer
Auburn, Alabama, USA"
Underrated
Liam | House on the Rock, Wisconsin | 06/26/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I think this is one of the more underrated albums of the 90s. This is because they're pretty unhip to listen to, as most people (rock critics) view them as bombastic, moping goths. I'll have to admit that, yes, they can get pretty maudlin at times (which is why I gave it four-stars). However, the strength of this album is in the arrangements/composition, coming from mastermind Sam Rosenthal. Most detractors of this album focus on the vocals, but they fail to realize that the majority of this 70-plus minute record is instrumental, or near-instrumental. Of course, if you only listen to, say, Pavement, then you'll probably turn Black Tape off, but if you like moody music with good arrangements (you know, violins, keyboards, next-to-no guitar) try it."
Beautiful...comtemplative.
jfsebastian | Atlanta, GA | 02/16/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is my first BTFBG CD. I find it more contemplative than depressing. Sure, its got the standard melancholy lyrics. But the music is truly the standout element of this CD. As I listen I can imagine driving in the dark, long distance, alone with only my thoughts and this music to keep me company. This CD works so well because it does what music is supposed to do, alter your emotional condition. You've got to hear this CD from beginning to end. You don't have to be a 'goth' to appreciate the beautiful music on this release. I will certainly check out more releases by this band. If you like ambient or electronic music you should get a kick out of this one. The sound play between the vocals, electronics and acoustic instruments is fantastic. One could say you could ditch the 'goth' tag and refer to it as modern classical. Perhaps future generations will think of BTFBG that way."