A Perfect Mystery (Legendary Pink Dots)

yaura@unm.edu (kentifyr)

overall, APM is a very solid and (once again) very well produced record .
while i find myself taking a little break from it (after listening to it
about 10+ times after rescuing it from my mailbox 2 days ago) i find that it
is easy to miss and wonderful to listen to in the middle of the night :) the
return of martijn on guitar (and violin ! lots of violin ! yay !) is
evident in a lot of the guitar work . . . there is just something about his
playing on this album that makes me think of the first time i heard "maria
dimension" . . . mmmmmm yummy . neil's thundering woodwinds are bigger than
ever . . . very nice lyrical work on edward's part (well, y'know . . . no
one writes lyrics like edward :) . . .

anyhoo . . . BUY IT . don't wait for the roadshow to stop in your towne . .
. . ! :)

kentifyr

"Michael Holloway" <futurepet@hotmail.com>

While I like most of the dots' surreally prolific output, I'm not one to
heap praise on just about anything they do. I thought 'Nemesis Online' was a
good album, though a little flat and repetitive at times. 'Hallway of the
Gods' really struck me, though, and remains one of my top favorites by them.
So now we have 'A Perfect Mystery' ... and I truly think it's one of their
best, ever.

My first impression wasn't good -- something about the production bothered
me; it almost sounded like a live recording at times, and some of the
noisier electronic noises bugged my ears. What I did notice on that first
listen, though, was the amazing level of detail and depth to this disc --
there is so much going on! 68 minutes literally crammed with a wide variety
of instrumentation, sound fx, styles, samples, etc. I could say the same
about Nemesis, but somehow this album feels bigger, fuller, more hard
hitting. The production I thought I didn't like at first now strikes me as
perfect--it's such a grand, solid sound. And here's a major plus--which
hasn't happened in a dots disc in years, for me at least--*every* song is
gem. Each one offers something; the pop-catchiness of "when lenny meets
lorca" ; the somber beauty of "blue" ; the experimental noise jam of "mood
159" and so on... My personal favorites are tracks 6, 7 & 8 -- what an
amazing run of songs! (Pain bubbles, blue, condition green). Also of note
on this disc are the lyrics--they strike me as some of Edward's best,
particularly on "condition green" and "death of a king." A lot of the songs
have a rock-band, 'jam' sound to them, particularly in the latter half of
the songs (lent, when i'm with you, pain bubbles, condition green). Here we
find plenty of sax, guitar and great drumming by Ryan. This is the kind of
thing I was really hoping to hear on a new dots disc. After hearing them
live a few times and realizing what a great drummer Ryan is, I wondered why
the drums on Nemesis Online sounded so simple and repetitive. Not so on APM.
The songs literally boom with fantastic, powerful percussion. Martijn plays
violin on two tracks, and he sounds wonderful. And, I have to add: thank
you, Ryan Moore, for that utterly beautiful bassline in "blue." I've never
before heard the bass sound so emotional, so melodic. The latter half of
"condition green" has a jam session with flute, acoustic guitar and hand
drums. It's actually very reminiscent of the jam part of "joey the canary"
from Malachai (one of my all-time favorite dots songs). The wonderful
soundscape/ambient conclusion of the disc (the last 8 minutes or so of
"godless") makes for a truly beautiful closing. I've listened to this album
in great depth and I still can't find any fault with it...and usually there
is *something* that doesn't work for me. Wow. I have to stop myself
here...I certainly don't understand how this album could dissapoint, as
someone recently mentioned, but to each his own. Great work, lpd!

Noddy <noddys_harem@yahoo.com>

I finally, I get it!

At first I thought this album was, well, flat. It just
sounded two-dimensional... especially when compared to
the early '90s stuff. And nothing was moving me like
Madame Guillotine, Just A Lifetime, or Disturbance...
and those all knocked me flat the first time I heard
them.

But then the other night I was savagely drunk and
feeling far beneath low and somehow in the black of
mood and night I managed to hit play.....

AND THE SPEAKERS CAME ALIVE WITH THE MOST AWESOME
AURAL ENTITY!

And ever since, this album has been playing non-stop.
It's beautiful. It's painful.

And Martijn sure can play that guitar. This album
sounds to me like like a blend of Malachai and
Hallway.

anyway... that's my opinion

"Petr Ferenc" <ferenc78@hotmail.com>

Lent
- this should have been a new sister to all Pink Dot's great opening songs
like Disturbance, Zero Zero etc. But there's nothing special in these 8
minutes. Just another plenty of WE lines.

When I'm With You
- a cool one that rocks pretty fine. Sounds like a bit of Hallway or From
Here... Great saxophone work. The combination of rock and roll guitars and
Edward's mellow voice is very tempting.

When Lenny Meets Lorca
- oh my dear! Is it a Modern Talking cover or what? And why does the flute
sound so crappy?

Skeltzer Spleltzer
- a bit more experimental. The voice and all the buzz around is cool, but
the song starts to go nowhere with Martijn de Kleer's violin that sounds
like country & western. Where are you, Patrick Paganini?

Mood 159
- hard to say anything about that. It's just a nice piece with good
baritone sax on it. Yeah, this is OK.

Pain Bubbles
- with its 8 minutes work on stage (or Live At The Metro), this is too
long again. How comes it starts to be a problem to make a long one where
every bit is cool (Andromeda, Pleasure Palace, Hotel Noir...)???

Blue
- both music and words sound like Edward Ka-Spel solo stuff ("tell me
lover what's it like in there / in the blue room?"). I like these
continuing stories. Very dreamy, closest to the Pink Dots I love so much.

Condition Green
- is it folk? Is it just fun? Is it a love song? God knows, but it's cool.
This catchy little one will sound in your ears for the whole day.

Death Of A King
- another de Kleer violin, this time much better. One of the tracks you
enjoy and then forget.

Godless
- 13 minutes of something like the mix of Premonitions and Malachai, not
very catchy, but quite mysterious.

Well, I miss the SOMETHING that makes LPD so special here, I just hear the
sound with a lack of meaning. I'm sorry, but I don't need another rock and
roll band.

Psionic Imperator (keith@starvox.net)

"Sing while you may.."

This has long been a favorite quote of the Pink Dots, and it is one by which
they have held true for all of their long and distinguished career. A
Perfect Mystery carries the tradition along, and holds true the mantle of
genius carried all these years by the Prophet Qa-Spel and crew.

"I just stepped back a little, kept a low profile..."

For 20 years, the Legendary Pink Dots have been weaving a spell within the
Gothic/Industrial communities, a testament to their depth.. few musical
ventures have shown such tenacity, and fewer still could appeal to so many.
Throughout all the years, many changes have overcome the 'Dots, leading to
the present line up:

EDWARD KA-SPEL: vocals/keyboards
NIELS VAN HOORNBLOWER: saxes/flute/electronic wind instruments
RYAN MOORE: bass/drums/percussion
THE SILVER MAN: keyboards
MARTIJN DE KLEER: guitars/drums/violin

It is refreshing to know this is the same lineup that we have all known and
loved for the past 9 years, the 'Dots having stabilized their band
chemistry. And to such glorious places have they taken us...

"15 flies in the marmalade....."

It will come as no surprise to you, dear reader, that I am a long-time fan
of the Pink Dots, and of 'The Tear Garden', that most infamous of
collaborations between the Pink Dots and Skinny Puppy. I was initially
introduced to the 'Dots/Tear Garden during my
'experiments-in-chemical-mind-alteration' phase, the same phase that saw me
leaving the world of Metal behind for the glamour and darkness of the Goth
movement. Something about the passion and soul of Edward Ka-Spel's voice
called to me, as it has to so many others. The first time I saw the Pink
Dots live, I was compelled to curl up in a little ball on the floor and
weep, while at the same time tempted by a little voice in the back of my
skull to sit in a dark room and plan the perfect murder. Such is my
love-affair with the 'Dots... Majestic expression of positive thought, and
sinister revelry in diabolic plans. A dichotomy, if you will.

"What I say, what I think, are two entirely different things... That's just
the way I am."

Unfortunately, I've found myself fighting more and more with the latest
material to get into them. Am I in a different headspace now? Alienated
from the same processes of thought, now that I have turned to the raw
aggression of electro-industrial, and away from the sorrow/beauty of the
Goth scene? I don't think so, as if that were the case, I'd not at all
appreciate these latest releases, and yet I do.. It merely takes longer. At
first listen, A Perfect Mystery struck me as uninspired, and not very
progressive. Given time, I have seen more clearly what was being done, and
this has grown to be my favorite release of the 'Dots since Asylum.

"Bleep Bleep, Means I'm contented.."

What thoughts does an Angel have, whilst slowly sauntering downwards to the
basement so readily embraced by his forsaken brothers? Is this the music
heard by the insane in a moment of lucidity? Masters of subtlety, purveyors
of layered sound.. The Pink Dots have constructed an album of material that
is devoid of the sinister trappings proffered in the past with such tracks
as "City Of Needles", and have hit upon a textured mood that is as perfectly
suited for a freindly afternoon coffee as it is for late-night meditation.

A Perfect Mystery is one of the rare breed of album these days, in that it
stands out as a whole, rather than a few standout tracks mixed amongst the
filler. And while this makes for great listening, it somewhat limits the
reviewer, as I cannot easily point out tracks to look for... At best I can
recommend the entirety of this release. About the only big dissapointment
that comes tagged with this release is it's inaccessibility to the club
scenario.. While the 'Dots have proven how good it's sounds live, I have a
hard time seeing how this would work as a 'Club hit' kind of release. But if
that's all the Pink Dots have to worry about... Well, I can think of alot
worse things for an album to be afflicted with. if you're looking for an
intelligent, thought-provoking album, rife with feeling and texture, then A
Perfect Mystery should be exactly what you need. I highly recommend this for
old fans, and for anyone curious to know what the Prophet Qa-Spel is all
about.

Alternative Press Mag. Nov. 00