Search - Vigilantes of Love :: To the Roof of the Sky

To the Roof of the Sky
Vigilantes of Love
To the Roof of the Sky
Genres: Alternative Rock, Folk, Pop, Rock
 
  •  Track Listings (15) - Disc #1

Vigilantes of Love strike a blow for independence with the band's eighth release, the first issued without the help of any outside management or label interference. Produced, financed, and distributed by the band, To the R...  more »

     
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CD Details

All Artists: Vigilantes of Love
Title: To the Roof of the Sky
Members Wishing: 4
Total Copies: 0
Label: Cafe Records Canada
Release Date: 7/7/1998
Album Type: Import
Genres: Alternative Rock, Folk, Pop, Rock
Styles: Contemporary Folk, Singer-Songwriters, Folk Rock
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPCs: 5037456000013, 634457104020

Synopsis

Amazon.com
Vigilantes of Love strike a blow for independence with the band's eighth release, the first issued without the help of any outside management or label interference. Produced, financed, and distributed by the band, To the Roof of the Sky reveals Vigilantes of Love's roots-rock heart, from garage-rock stompers like "But Not for Long" to alt-country ballads like "This Time Isn't One of Them." Head Vigilante Bill Mallonee's lyrics draw from a wide source of literary and historical sources for songs that plumb the depths of the human condition. The title track is a haunting, country-tinged ode to George Mallory, who died ascending Mt. Everest. This and more personal songs, such as "Opposite's True" and "Farther up the Road," offer glimpses of spiritual insight that are long on human frailty and heavy on the constancy of Providence. --Brad Caviness

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CD Reviews

My Favorite Vigilantes Record
09/29/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)

"The best thing that can be said about any record is that it impacts and connects with the listener in such a way as to actually become a part of their life, taking residence in the same nostalgic slice of memory as good friends and great conversation. I bought "To the Roof of the Sky" a couple weeks after it came out. Soon after it became my companion for a 1200-mile solo trek in my beat-up Toyota pickup truck. These songs made that long journey not just tolerable, but introspective and enjoyable. Great art has the power to do that. This is the real thing. Unqualified 5 stars."
The Indie Spirit of VOL
09/30/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)

"I bought "To the Roof..." last year at this time, at a point when I was skeptical of the umpteenth new incarnation of VOL. Those of us who felt the previous "Slow Dark Train" was a solid but not splendid outing, will be enthralled with "To the Roof..." It is the album Mallonee fans have longed for since "Killing Floor".Full of do-it-yourself energy and road-weary regret, to mine its richest treasure is to climb inside, kick back, and watch it unfold. There's several full throttle garage/americana tunes ("But Not For Long", "Run Through My Veins", and "Perishable Goods"), but its the albums more somber mid to slow tempo tunes that really connect. The title track, "Isadora Duncan", "Farther up the Road", and "On the Verge" are some of the most touching and endearing songs Mallonee has written. Kenny Hustons excellent guitar work adds an element to VOL that has been sorely missing for years. I'm not one to throw around the word "classic" or to give a casual five star rating to any album, but "To the Roof of the Sky" certainly deserves it. It is one of the few 90's music additions to my all-time top ten list (keeping company next to Mark Heard's "Second Hand").No small feat.Essential."
My favorite living band
dan hawkins | Littleton, NC United States | 11/02/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)

"It is hard to sum up the impact that Bill Mallonee's writing has had on me. Several years ago I came across Blister Soul in an used CD store. After listening to that album ten or so times I was hooked. Mallonee is one of the most honest songwriters around. By honest I mean this; He is honest about despair, and he is honest about hope. So many songwriters who write about their faith write like after conversion there are no problems. Mallonee's songs are songs of hope written in blood. Open a vein and take up a pen so to speak. This album seems to be (with the possible exception of Summershine their newest) to be the "happiest" album. The strenth of these songs is in their brutal honesty about the difficulty of existence, but the ability to hold that difficulty up to the light and find hope.This album is probobly my favorite VOL album of the ones I have (all except Slow Dark Train and Jugular). In my mind there are no songwriters to compare to Bill Mallonee except for the late Rich Mullins and Don Chaffer. As time has progressed, the intensity of feeling and ruthless honesty have remained hallmarks of his writing, but he seems to have focused the passion and anger (as a reviewer of Slow Dark Train notes) and is an even stronger songwriter now. This album or Audible Sigh would be my suggestions for a starting point, though many would argue that Killing Floor would be best. No matter what you start with, though, prepare yourself to have your inner secrets exposed, your mind challenged and your heart pierced..."