Proper Order – Reviews

METRO Newspaper, Thurs 21st May, 2009

Proper Order
1969records
Review by Eamon de Paor  **** 4/5 stars

From the unexpected return of Blur  to the surprisingly convincing resurrection of Take That and Boyzone, 1990s nostalgia is heavy in the air at the moment – so it’s probably as good a time as ever for The Pale to release the best album of their career.

Still dogged by the ‘wacky’ tag that has followed them since their once inescapable 1992 hit Dogs with no Tails, the Dublin four-piece long ago grew into a more mature and interesting proposition (without abandoning that trademark mandolin) – and Proper Order offers irrefutable proof that sometimes musicians are at their most articulate in their autumn years.

In place of their former quirkiness, the band have cultivated an elegiac new sound – You Play Indie Music feels like a recently rediscovered new wave nugget; Catholic Credit Card belies its naff title with a swoonful, Rufus Wainwright-esque chorus illuminated by Matthew Devereux’s Lloyd Cole-esque croon.  Best of all is the album’s sign-off, Paris In The 21st Century, a wistful ballad with a melody that lingers long after the music has ended.

Eamon de Paor

MixTape4Melfi / 2UIBestow
Review

“The Pale probably should have become a massive band in the early 90′s due to their original and distinct qualities. I loved their early tunes but for whatever reason [financial probably!] I simply never got round to buying an album and only caught the band live for the first time in The Academy before Christmas.

The Pale released their 8th [or 9th depending on source!] studio album entitled Proper Order earlier this month. I have to admit that I am really enjoying Proper Order. It sounds exactly what a ‘The Pale’ album should sound like. We have strong vocals, quality thoughtful lyrics, mandolin infused melodies and simply a great set of tunes.

I love the first three tracks which deal with the realities of being in a band. There’s the plight of being a support act, getting noticed by the local area and having to deal with advances and temptations. Proper Order then kicks into the 2008 single Chocolate Factory which is the best pop tune on the album. The rest of the album includes many references to modern Ireland with the lyrics becoming very subjective. ‘Beauty in the Riot’ for example creates for me many images of love, clarity, chaos and acceptance.

Proper Order is a consistently strong album if a little on the short side at just under 30 minutes! But hey I’m always told it’s quality not length that’s important! If like me you haven’t got round to acquiring an album from ‘The Pale’, let me recommend you start with Proper Order.

The Pale – Proper Order [9 out of 12]“

2uibestow

MixTape4Melfi