This Beautiful Mess is the band previously known as Subatlantic Starfish, a band that released only a few songs on samplers from Sally Forth Records. Musically they've grown significantly since the first songs came out. Their music is dark emopop with beautiful soundscapes. There's a retrospective sound to the songs and mostly they're tranquil, relaxed. Sometimes there are postgrunge elements to make it a bit spicier. Especially the use of keyboards enhance the songs enormously. This is clear in songs like Fly Anna Fly and Sola Gratia. Though the songs are poppy in a way, this album is not an easy digest all the time. It needs a couple of times of close listenings to appreciate it fully. But then you will discover this album has a lot to offer. Great debut album!
Other coverage for this album
The Phantom Tollbooth 2001Reviewed by Ken MuellerDespite the fact that there are still two months of music ahead of us before the end of the year, I am convinced that This Beautiful Mess will be right there in my list of top albums for the year. Hailing from Holland and released on Deep Elm Records, this band casts off the clichés of emo-dom and creates a fresh new sound grounded firmly in an indie-pop sensibility. Melodic and noisy at the same…The Phantom Tollbooth 2001Reviewed by Alex KlagesThere are many ways to spend three-quarters of an hour. I can't think of many more gripping ways, emotionally, than listening to this disc through headphones, concentrating on the textures painted on the musical canvas. This Beautiful Mess is a Dutch group which has a deep art-rock sensibility to their type of guitar-based rock. It fits in much the same vein as Radiohead and Luxury, with maybe a…Similar sounding releases
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