Search - Devics :: Stars at Saint Andrea

Painful beauty

Angela P M | Tempe, AZ United States | 04/17/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This Cd is so intense that it is almost physically painful to listen to it. Sadness seems to materialize and take on a body for itself in these songs. It is so beautiful and striking that it will almost hurt you.Highly recommended to those interested in trip-hop and its subgeneres, although Devics could hardly be labelled as trip-hop. People who enjoy Alpha, Portishead or Royskopp, might enjoy this, although the electronic edge is almost neutralized here. The only way I can find to describe the Devics style is filtered trip-hop: take all the electronica influence out and leave the core of transcendental melodies, and you've got Devics.Not for the faint of heart."

The least special album from Devics

J. Manning | Salt Lake City, UT USA | 10/13/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Speaking as someone who has bought and treasured everything this band has ever been willing to sell, this one left me flat. I think the first problem is that they've almost completely lost their rhythm section, other than a couple songs featuring Ed on bass. The songs in which both Ed and a session drummer are brought in, such as "My True Love," instantly jumped out to me as the strongest tracks and most like their older albums. One-man-band Dustin O'Halloran is immeasurably talented, but I think all the double-tracking he did in recording this album mostly by himself subtly changed the soul of the music. It no longer has that tightly meshed and textured feel. It's thinner, and the empty spaces that a drummer or a bassist (who digs bass more than Dustin) ought to have filled became more noticeable to me with each listening. Electronic drums don't cut it, and that's the other problem: electronics. Dustin is almost as good on the synth as he is at every other instrument, but none of it makes the songs better. Everything that's special about these songs comes from Dustin's guitar or piano and Sara's vocals. There are many, many bands that do electronics as well as Devics. There are a few who can match their moodiness (hence the unfortunate comparisons with Portishead, a great band but not really what Devics is/was about). I can count on one finger the bands that were doing this with an authentic, vintage sound, using no special effects other than tremolo. So because of that I think this is Devic's "least special" album. I really hope they have Ed full time along with a drummer on their next album. Maybe with a rhythm section in place the electronics will have more to contribute (if they must go in that direction).In any event, I would give all of Devic's three previous full-length albums a shot before coming back for this one."

Identifying their strengths

Matthew Keller | here, there, everywhere | 08/27/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I reviewed Devics last album "My Beautiful Sinking Ship". Someone entered a rebuttle to my review, but she didn't get it. The theme of the collection was what I liked most about the album. I should have been more direct in my review. Bottom line, "Sinking Ship" became a tedious bore around song seven. The tone stayed the same on each song and not a lot of tunefulness.
Much has improved on "Stars of Saint Andrea" without a lot of changes. The band still keeps it dark. However, the melodies are stronger. The main singer, Sara Lov, sounds less precious on this album. She sounds more like a cohesive band member rather than offset like some gloomy starlet. Her singing blends nicely with the instruments.
Enough comparing, on to what you need to know about 'St Andrea'. It's moody. It's atmospheric, making it a great bedsit album. It's a subtle album. "Red Morning" is a gorgeous, understated song that was actually released for a single. Despite being understated, it still worms into your head. It is infectious. At first, you may not notice the subdued trumpet on "All Your Beautiful Trees", but it's lovely. Devics also provide some very nice alternative country moments on this allbum. At times, they used a vocal effect on Sara's voice which keeps the album interesting. I like the fact that 'St Andrea' is a concise album, making it a pretty powerful listen. If you're thinking about buying it, there's nothing here annoying or overly depressing. It's subtle with a great pay off."