| The Comforts of Madness | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 12 February 1990 | |||
| Studio | Blackwing (London) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 41:06 | |||
| Label | 4AD | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Pale Saints chronology | ||||
| ||||
The Comforts of Madness is the debut studio album by English alternative rock band Pale Saints. It was released on 12 February 1990 by 4AD. [3]
The Comforts of Madness peaked at number 40 on the UK Albums Chart. [4] On 17 January 2020, 4AD released a remastered and expanded reissue of the album for its 30th anniversary. [5] [6]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [7] |
| Mojo |  [8] |
| NME | 9/10 [9] |
| Pitchfork | 7.6/10 [2] |
| Q | [10] |
| Record Mirror | 4/5 [11] |
| Uncut | 9/10 [12] |
| Under the Radar | 9/10 [13] |
Reviewing The Comforts of Madness for NME , Simon Williams praised the album as an "unnervingly multi-dimensional collage of melody and friction" with "at least eight Great Pop Tunes, all hooklines and absolutely no stinkers." [9] The magazine later named it the 45th best album of 1990. [14]
In 2016, Pitchfork ranked The Comforts of Madness at number 21 on its list of the 50 best shoegaze albums of all time. [1]
All tracks are written by Pale Saints (Chris Cooper, Ian Masters, and Graeme Naysmith), except where noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Way the World Is" | 2:40 | |
| 2. | "You Tear the World in Two" | 3:01 | |
| 3. | "Sea of Sound" | 5:52 | |
| 4. | "True Coming Dream" | 2:30 | |
| 5. | "Little Hammer" | 2:17 | |
| 6. | "Insubstantial" | 4:20 | |
| 7. | "A Deep Sleep for Steven" | 3:44 | |
| 8. | "Language of Flowers" | 2:54 | |
| 9. | "Fell from the Sun" | Kendra Smith | 4:45 |
| 10. | "Sight of You" | 5:37 | |
| 11. | "Time Thief" | 3:26 | |
| Total length: | 41:06 | ||
Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes. [15]
Production
Design
| Chart (1990–2020) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Scottish Albums (OCC) [16] | 49 |
| UK Albums (OCC) [4] | 40 |
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Pale Saints were an English alternative rock and shoegazing band formed in 1987 in Leeds by singer-bassist Ian Masters, guitarist Graeme Naysmith and drummer Chris Cooper.
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