Search - Soundtrack of Our Lives :: Present from the Past

TSOOL Continues With Consistently Rewarding Songs

Mirror Man | Staten Island, NY | 12/22/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The release of A Present From The Past from The Soundtrack Of Our Lives marks the second release of the year from the band. The earlier release, Origin. Vol. 1, in March 2005 was slated to be the first of a two volume undertaking by this longstanding swedish group. As it turned out, Origin. Vol. 1 was released in the Spring followed by the band embarking on a heavy touring schedule. Over the course of that time, the band reconsidered - placing the second volume on hold (for now anyway). Instead, some of those aforementioned tracks, B - sides, and rare EP tracks were collected for this 2 CD Set. The end result with this release is a memborable experience that gets better with every listening. However, the release A Present from The Past should not be viewed by fans as a collection to bide time until the band's next release. The collection of songs presented here stands on it's own merit and should viewed in it's entirety as a full album. Culled from various sources, the 2 cd set flows beautifully from start to finish. The emotional depth, moods, textures of sound and artistry attained is stunning. In fact, it's so amazing to the listener to consider that with this band's B - Sides they stand head and shoulders above other groups primary offerings. Newer songs like "New Messiah" and "Side Effects" mesh wonderfully with older material such as "Greatest Hit Providers" and "Were Gonna Get It Right" creating a cohesive, uplifting experience. A Present From The Past will not only serve the function for some as an introduction to the band but also confirm the fact to older listeners that this band is indeed very special. The songwriting abilities as well as the breadth of the quality material this band possesses in the end amounts to a listening moment that should be treasured."

Great collection of B-Sides, EP tracks from TSOOL

Wayne Klein | My Little Blue Window, USA | 02/05/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This collection of B-Sides, single tracks and EP tracks (and some unreleased gems as well)will fill out your TSOOL collection. The only thing missing are some of the live tracks released as B-Sides otherwise you'd have just about everything the band recorded that's worthwhile here in addition to their essential albums. "Dow Jones Syndrome" and "Nobrainer" are the two best tracks from the "Gimme Five!" EP (although the entire "Gimme Five!" EP is represented here). We also get the tracks from the band's long out of print "Homo Habilis Blues" EP as well as the "Bonus Future" EP included with the 2002 touring edition of "Behind the Music". This two CD set doesn't really build the way that their album releases do (not a surprise given that these the EPs are scrambled and interwoven with various B-sides)so don't expect something as powerful as their last couple of albums. This release is still a delight for fans.



If you didn't purchase all of their singles/EP releases such as myself (hey, there's only so much $$ out there to spend on any band), this is a great double disc place to pick them all up (or at least the worthwhile stuff). While there aren't any duff songs on here some are better than others. For example, "James Last Experience" and the instrumental "Play Station Bordello" are petty good but don't quite hold up to the best material on their albums. If you're waiting for "Origin Part 2" this is a pretty good set to pick up and keep you happy until that album is released. The newer material is, for the most part, top notch and holds its own against the band's strongest material on this set.



A pity these guys didn't garner any Grammy nominations so that other folks might discover the talent from Sweden. Since their last album didn't sell as well as the previous one I'm not surprised they didn't get any nominations (and the Grammys have always been more of a Dog and Pony show anyway--what can one expect from an awards ceremony that equates "Best" with "Bestselling" and a body that gave The Beatles only a handful of Grammys--most of them AFTER they spilt up!). Rest assured that if you discovered the band with "Behind the Music" this collection is worthwhile picking up.



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