Search - Alison's Halo, Alison S Halo :: Eyedazzler 1992-1996

Cosmic shoegazing atmospherics

Ian Bessler | Cincinnati, OH | 06/16/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is alternative rock in the more atmospheric/noisy/ambient vein of British bands like Ride. Most of this album was apparently recorded on cassette 4-track equipment, but the sound is excellent. Catherine Cooper's wispy vocals are hard to make out, but it's more the melodic flow and dreamy feel of the vocals that count with this genre. Both the vocal and guitar melodies are quite good. The guitars are drenched in effects, and even the extremely distorted guitar sounds are warm and engulfing. My favorite songs are the last two, recorded live to 2-track DAT in 1995 at something called the "Beautiful Noise Festival" in Tempe, AZ. I like these two songs because they hint at the power of Alison's Halo as a live band. The overall sound on this live cut is gargantuan and cinematic, especially the drums. Bravo! The second song on the live cut, "Calendar," gave me visions of churning solar flares and other cosmic events. This is first-rate head music, and if you like to daydream to your music and drift off into your inner mind movies, you will like this."