Pale Saints drew from a deceptively deep pool of influences and teased out distinctive traits that charmed the visionary 4AD label, and consequently listeners for whom shoegaze was a term of endearment. The English band developed their unique strain of dream pop by synthesizing elements of connected bygone movements such as West Coast psychedelia, the paisley underground, and C-86, applying avant-folk, pure pop, and the spectral post-punk advancements of their elder labelmates along the way. Their three albums of increasing scope and sprawl -- namely The Comforts of Madness (1990) and In Ribbons (1992), both of which charted, followed by Slow Buildings (1994) -- left lasting imprints. The first two have been expanded and reissued on the occasion of their 30th anniversaries. Named after a song by Eyeless in Gaza, Pale Saints formed in Leeds in 1987. The original lineup consisted of bassist and vocalist Ian Masters, drummer Chris Cooper, and guitarist Graeme Naysmith, the latter two of whom had responded to an ad Masters placed in a record shop. Early recordings appeared on micro-indie compilations across 1988 and early 1989, but it was a third demo recording that attracted 4AD label head Ivo Watts-Russell, who was spurred to catch an April 1989 gig at the Camden Falcon and signed the band (as well as support act Lush). That July, the trio, joined by the Edsel Auctioneer's Ashley Horner on second guitar, recorded a BBC session for John Peel's program. Pale Saints made their 4AD debut two months later with Barging Into the Presence of God. The three-song EP was led by Watts-Russell favorite "Sight of You," a heartsick ballad showcasing Masters' chorister-like voice. "Sight of You" reappeared on The Comforts of Madness, 4AD's first release the following decade, in February 1990. The album, featuring production duties split between John Fryer and Gil Norton, entered the U.K. album chart at number 40. An EP of four new songs, Half-Life, was out that October, by which point the band was a quartet with the addition of guitarist Meriel Barham, an original member of Lush strongly recommended by that group's Miki Berenyi. Barham not only contributed to Pale Saints' songwriting process but also shared lead vocal duties with Masters, heard first on the subsequent Flesh Balloon EP, issued in June 1991. The Barham-fronted "Kinky Love," a cover of an obscure composition recorded most notably by Nancy Sinatra, was actually spun off separately as the A-side of a synchronous 7", and reached number 72 on the U.K. chart, 14 places higher than the preceding year's "Half-Life, Remembered." Cool but never affected or detached, Barham's voice added another dimension to the band. A U.S. licensing deal with Warner Bros. enabled 4AD to increase Pale Saints' exposure abroad. The first product of the agreement was the Hugh Jones-produced In Ribbons, a farther-ranging set with some of the band's most powerful, wraithlike, and hypnotic songs. Released in the U.K. in March 1992, it entered the homeland chart at number 61. The U.S. edition trailed behind it the following month. Dissatisfied artistically, Masters departed and began an extensive series of assorted short-term projects as part of Spoonfed Hybrid (alongside ex-A.C. Temple member Chris Trout) and ESP Summer (with Warren Defever of His Name Is Alive). The Heart Throbs' Colleen Browne effectively replaced Masters on bass, while Barham stepped to the fore. Slow Buildings, Pale Saints' final LP, was racked in the U.K. and U.S. in August 1994 and likewise alternated between succinct, driving pop and sprawling balladry, again with production from Jones (on all but one song). Following tours across Europe and the States, and a cover of Tom Waits' "Jersey Girl" (for the tribute album Step Right Up), Barham left. The band officially split in 1996. Post-Pale Saints, Barham recorded under the name Kuchen for Karaoke Kalk. Cooper and Naysmith continued to perform and record together and separately in numerous bands. Browne has played with the likes of Warm Jets and White Hotel, while Masters has continued to release music under a variety of solo and collaborative guises such as Oneironaut, Friendly Science Orchestra, and Isolated Gate. In January 2020, 4AD released a remastered and expanded 30th anniversary edition of The Comforts of Madness, including the Peel session and an album's worth of demos. A 30th anniversary edition of In Ribbons followed in October 2023. In addition to demos, it featured the material from the bonus 7" packaged with the original release: Tintwistle Brass Band versions of two Pale Saints songs, and an instrumental from Pale Saints themselves. ~ Andy Kellman, Rovi

Pale Saints, Penny Dreadfuls

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