Stunning Debut!...
Ian Creamer | Dublin,Ireland | 06/10/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I've heard this album described as a supreme piece of eerie psychedelic soul and I have to say it's a pretty apt description. What this sentence doesn't tell you is that this London group have produced an amazing debut album of 12 of the most brilliantly crafted songs you're likely to hear on any debut album. The arrangements are startling and this group seems to show no limit or constraints with their own ambition. A case in point would be track 4 "Structure". It drifts along in the coolest of trip-hop meets C/W sort of guitar sounds.Then smooth keyboards kick in and we have the beginnings of a great track, until nearly 3 minutes in, we get this incredible orchestral break, full of swirling string and woodwind sound before some 80 seconds later and the cool sounds of acoustic guitar meets the sound of steel guitar re-emerge. Before you know it they launch into the delicious soft multi-layered harmonies of the barely whispered vocals of the chorus. As soon as I heard this track you could say I was hooked. Yet the amazing thing is this isn't my favourite track. There seems to be a track to suit all sorts of moods and venues from the upbeat "So Long Summer" with it's almost 60's feel good vibe to the post club, chilled out exhaustion of "So Low". Here's a track that is just so beautifully produced and brings the best out of any good stereo system. It sort of reminds me of the late night smoky bar sounds of Cousteau. Great gentle guitar riffs and wha-wha guitar sounds mixed in with some ultra cool keyboard sounds you'd be more likely to hear on a Morcheeba album. Some other tracks have a more sinister darker sound like "Ionia" which uses trip hop beats with gentler guitar sounds and some great strings also. The vocals on much of this album are delivered in a hushed sort of style, which suits the mood of the tracks so perfectly. Yet on track ten "Breathe" the style changes as they begin to sound like Coldplay and the back and forth sounds of the main vocalist interacting with the backing harmonies make this a truly astounding track. The startling variety on this album is one of the many reasons why I liked it so much. Yes maybe many of the tracks may be a bit down tempo but each one stands out entirely with it's style and delivery from the next one and each track is a near masterpiece. It's just a remarkably accomplished debut!"
Best Electro-Acoustic Band Around!
T Boz | USA | 03/17/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Afet hearing the wave of electro-acoustic bands that flooded the British scene a few years ago, like Doves, ad-n, Sigur Ros, even some Coldplay songs, I thought the idea was exhausted. Then I heard Custom Blue. I got into them through one of their producers, Mark Pritchard, and was blown away by the quality of the songwriting. I have never heard a better chillout rock record in my life. The falsetto vocals present on this album send you into a relaxing daze, as do the superbly orchestrated melodies. They go from an ambient guitar riff, to full-on strings, break to a melodic keyboard line, then back for more choruses until the air swirls with energy. I haven't heard such masterful techniques since The Beatles. Overall, I cannot recommend this album enough, well worth the trouble to track it down on import, plus the band is working on a follow up 'All Will Be Well' due sometime in 2005. I can't wait!"
Track Listings (12) - Disc #1