Song(s) of the Day # 3,365 Isolated Gate

 

Pale Saints and Lush played at Norwich Arts Centre in Spring 1990, as I was heading towards graduation in Spring 1990. I'd been through serious illness which had forced me to take a couple of years out of university, while I recovered and other traumatic life events had also impacted on me, changing me forever.

Looking back, it remains one of my really special gig experiences. I went with my good university  mate Andy, who remains the gig going friend of my lifetime. We've experienced so many great concerts together over the years; in Norwich, in New York, in Newcastle, at All Tomorrow's Parties festivals and elsewhere. This was one of the most important ones for me, though Andy strangely doesn't remember it.

Both bands were just great that night and Comfort of Madness, the album Pale Saints were touring at the time remains a very special record for me, and one I'd say is undervalued generally. The band are long gone, though not in the memories of those who loved them at the time. It's great to see their singer, Ian Masters especially, still putting together musical projects of an interesting and experimental nature.

The latest, is under the name Isolated Gate working with Tim Koch from Central Processing Unit and together they've just put out an incredible album called Universe in Reverse, which I'd urge you to listen to immediately.

Masters strange, almost disembodied vocals are immediately recognisable as is the otherwordly atmosphere conjured up here, though this doesn't really sound like a Pale Saints record. It 's an experimental one as I've said, and an electronic one in essence, but also extremely melodic and  approachable. I was listening to it on repeat all yesterday and it's one of my favourite albums of the year.