The Comforts Of Madness (30th Anniversary Remaster)

耽美なUKロック最高峰、PALE SAINTS
"狂気のやすらぎ"と称えられたデビュー作に未発表音源を追加し新たにリマスターを施した30周年記念盤が遂に登場!!

1987年にIan Masters(Bass/Vocal)、Chris Cooper(Drum)、Graeme Naysmith(Guitar)の3名によって結成された、UKシューゲイザー/ドリーム・ポップの伝説的バンド、Pale Saintsが1990年にリリースしたデビュー・アルバム『The Comforts of Madness』の30周年記念盤が〈4AD〉よりリリース!

英国インディー界の新たな波を牽引する存在として、デビュー時からLushやRide、Slowdiveなどのシューゲイザー・バンドとも比較される一方で、90年代USオルタナ/グランジの要素も取り入れた唯一無二の耽美なサウンドは発売から30年経った現在でも色褪せる事のない作品として語り継がれている。

また、米Pitchforkは同アルバムを【Best Shoegaze Albums of All Time】に選出した上で、「サウンドのボリュームが上がり、リズムが激しくなるとき、そこには例えようのない切迫感と緊張感がある。そのエネルギーはこれを重要作品として位置付けているだけでなく、バンドの独創性やその柔軟性をより際立ったものに変化させる彼らの能力を主張している」と評価。

通常盤LPはオリジナル盤が忠実に復刻されている。

When thinking of the finest dream pop records from the early 90s, The Comforts of Madness tends to get lost in the shuffle. Frequently and unfortunately, the Pale Saints were disregarded as just another part of the 4AD sound, lacking distinction and relying on the cliches of the time. Though they might have (arguably) fallen into those traps later in their brief career, their debut really does stick out from the remainder of the 4AD roster as well as the remainder of the then-current scene. The touchstones -- Jesus and Mary Chain, My Bloody Valentine, Galaxie 500 -- are somewhat apparent, but their debut is certifiably unique. Noise and melody duke it out, but in an arrestingly off-kilter fashion. Comforts is really as much of a quirk-out as it is a bliss-out, experimental in many ways and apparently so from the beginning of Way the World Is. The noisy rattling eventually gives way to wobbly bass and tunefully violent Wedding Present-like strumming, whipping up a tempestuous haze of frenzied pop. Throughout the record, the trio throws in countless tempo curveballs (with no sense of pomposity) and effectively balances the blasting chuggers with levitational banks of piled-on guitarscapes. The somewhat thin production lent by John Fryer and Gil Norton (on separate sessions) actually serves Comforts well, though it may take a few listens to settle in. The somewhat trebly, un-anchored production is properly suited for Ian Masters boyish vocals, which sound like theyre just on the brink of pubescence. His vocals are just as important to this record as Graeme Naysmiths guitars, not vanishing into the gobs of guitars like your typical shoegaze. Sight of You (retooled from their debut EP) is the centerpeice, a lovelorn gem that sounds vaguely like the lost track to Psychocandy. In whole, this debut remains a brilliant example of insular, adventurous, and charmingly flawed noise pop. ~ Andy Kellman