Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Dreams Are Made Of This, 29 Jul 2009
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.
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Shoeglazed Expression, 7 Aug 2009
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. I could talk about how Engineers have evolved on, this, album three with a light flourish of ambient post-rock. However, there would be little point, despite this truth, because, in reality, Three Fact Fader is an almost-verbatim retread of their catalogue to date. Ergo, it is earnest, competent, enjoyable even, but ultimately forgettable.
Familiarity breeds contempt. Engineers are jealousy-inspiringly consistent but their brand of dream-pop or nu-gaze here drags a little, as Three Fact Fader weighs in only a little beneath the hour mark. Nevertheless, pretty highlights like, well most of it, particularly `Brighter As We Fall', are worth a daydream or two. Shoegaze has always been guilty of esotericism, and Engineers carry that torch well. With them lighting the way so kindly, it may pay to look into their peers' catalogues before leaping in love.
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
If you like wistful...look no further, 7 Jul 2009
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
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