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Product details
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Track Listings
| 1. Clean Coloured Wire |
| 2. Sometimes I Realise |
| 3. International Dirge |
| 4. Helped By Science |
| 5. Brighter As We Fall |
| 6. Hang Your Head |
| 7. Crawl From The Wreckage |
| 8. Three Fact Fader |
| 9. Song For Andy |
| 10. Emergency Room |
| 11. The Fear Has Gone |
| 12. Be What You Are |
| 13. What Pushed Us Together |
Product Description
Review
What's in a name? When it comes to music scenes, a great deal. As soon as that fuzzy, FX-thick guitar music of the late 80s was lumpenly dubbed 'shoegaze' by the UK press, its future unfashionability was guaranteed. But in the US, where it was named 'dreampop', it remains an adored cult. Understandably so: dreampop is a beautiful, evocative, lavish phrase, and one that perfectly describes Engineers' second album.
That Engineers are heavily indebted to those original dreampop pioneers - Slowdive, My Bloody Valentine and Spacemen 3, in particular - is audible throughout Three Fact Fader. But, given how criminally un-mined that rich seam of inspiration is, this is barely a criticism, particularly when the miners are as skilled as Engineers.
Trying to catch music with words is always like trying to lasso jelly, but with music as layered, slippery and fluid as this it's near impossible. At its best, Three Fact Fader is like an ocean: full of half-submerged electronica, warm washes of distorted guitar and sucking rhythmic currents, Simon Phipp's vocals floating hazily on top.
Just listen to the surging opener, Clean Coloured Wire, with its piercingly pretty keyboard motifs, or the languidly epic Helped By Science, borne aloft on stately, elegant guitars. And though there are moments where the music's dreaminess threatens to turn into mere sleepiness, as on the meandering Song For Andy, they are more than offset by moments of sudden, startling beauty, like the stringswept coda that ends Emergency Room.
When the band vary the pace, the results are more mixed. The bustling, heavily electronic closer What Pushed Us Together sounds forced, but the hypnotic, bass-driven Sometimes I Realise and the pummeling-guitared, swooning-vocalled Hang Your Head are dense with the kind of intricate, complex musicianship that makes perfect sense of the band's name.
Three Fact Fader almost didn't emerge at all, following troubles with Engineers' old record label. We can only hope this idiosyncratic, ambitious, gorgeous band have now found a safer home where they can get to work on album number three. --Jaime Gill
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
First off, Mr Sheehan's artwork is stunning !
The music which follows is no less so.
Engineers' new album 'Three Fact Fader' is an antidote to mediocrity.
A bright light in an occasionally very dark firmament.
Thirteen is not necessarily an unlucky number.
This wonderful collection stands as proof, if proof were needed,
that this country is, in so many ways, the glowing, molten core
of an ever-expanding musical universe.
Melodically uplifting; innovative and
mindfully knowing in the same breath.
Dense, anthemic, soundscapes.
Sometimes a little chilly; sometimes a warm blanket;
always consumately conceived and skillfully performed.
Mr Phipps has just the right voice for this material.
Undemonstrative, a little dreamy, a potent salve.
Mr Thomas's production captures the elusive character
of these compositions perfectly in magical technicolor.
The string quartet on 'Helped By Science', arranged by band
members Mr Peters and Mr Macbean is stunning. Their
instrumental virtuosity, assisted ably by percussionist
Mr Sweeney, forms the musical backbone of the project.
Everything seems to be in the right place, from the
incandescent opening of 'Clean Coloured Wire' to the
Spector-esque wall-of-sound ending provided by
'What Pushed Us Together'.
We are in the hands of masters of their craft.
In between, songs such as 'Crawl From The Wreckage' and
(particularly) the very beautiful 'Song For Andy' set this
terrific band far apart from many of their lacklustre peers.
Solid as a rock and bound for glory.
Very Highly Recommended.
The music which follows is no less so.
Engineers' new album 'Three Fact Fader' is an antidote to mediocrity.
A bright light in an occasionally very dark firmament.
Thirteen is not necessarily an unlucky number.
This wonderful collection stands as proof, if proof were needed,
that this country is, in so many ways, the glowing, molten core
of an ever-expanding musical universe.
Melodically uplifting; innovative and
mindfully knowing in the same breath.
Dense, anthemic, soundscapes.
Sometimes a little chilly; sometimes a warm blanket;
always consumately conceived and skillfully performed.
Mr Phipps has just the right voice for this material.
Undemonstrative, a little dreamy, a potent salve.
Mr Thomas's production captures the elusive character
of these compositions perfectly in magical technicolor.
The string quartet on 'Helped By Science', arranged by band
members Mr Peters and Mr Macbean is stunning. Their
instrumental virtuosity, assisted ably by percussionist
Mr Sweeney, forms the musical backbone of the project.
Everything seems to be in the right place, from the
incandescent opening of 'Clean Coloured Wire' to the
Spector-esque wall-of-sound ending provided by
'What Pushed Us Together'.
We are in the hands of masters of their craft.
In between, songs such as 'Crawl From The Wreckage' and
(particularly) the very beautiful 'Song For Andy' set this
terrific band far apart from many of their lacklustre peers.
Solid as a rock and bound for glory.
Very Highly Recommended.
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
I love the music, ranging from a Pink Floydy sound to something that Tiesto might churn out. Electronica is the major feature, a few blasts of rockier guitar interspersed here and there, the word I would say sums it up is "wistful" (see above). However this is where the fifth star is lost as I was beginning to find the, yes, wistful vocals a bit boring by the end. Not as immediate as their previous album, this is still a decent enough purchase
Format:Audio CD
Loved Engineeers and Folly, The bands other releases so was made up to find a new album was out, it ploughs a pretty similiar channel to these two epics but as previous reviewers have stated does dip into shoegaze territory at times which is great if like me your a big fan...but shouldn't be enough to put you off if your not! love Brighter as we fall which could of been a lost Slowdive gem. This album should be in everyones c.d collection.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Astounding !!
It took me about 1 minute of Clean Coloured Wire to connect with this music.
Listen to it loud... Read more
Listen to it loud... Read more
Published 5 months ago by R. T.
sometimes i realise, it's not me
Cruelly overlooked, Engineers produce the my bloody valentine album we all really wanted instead of that wonky one everyone pretends to love. Read more
Published on 2 Nov 2009 by Arkady Hughes
Shoeglazed Expression
Here are three facts. Engineers really like shoe-gazing. Engineers really like Slowdive and Chapterhouse. If you like Engineers then you too will love Slowdive and Chapterhouse. Read more
Published on 7 Aug 2009 by Gannon
Quite simply.. beautiful!
This album is the most beautiful album since... well, the Engineer's first album. I've loved the first album and its been a constant on my play list, unlike other albums which... Read more
Published on 31 July 2009 by Alison
Best Uk album since Stone Roses?
When I first heard this I was a little disappointed, reminding me of when I used to hear new releases from the Beatles. Yes,I am that old!. Read more
Published on 11 July 2009 by Mr. P. Owen
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