[Cover art: Cloak Of Stars by Amy Brown]


Solid deal for tunes this good   June 23, 2002
 9 out of 10 found this review helpful

At this price, "12 Tales" eases the risk of giving lesser-known bands a listen. Amy Brown's art should please any faerie fan. The songs are mostly sung by women and share a 2 a.m. melancholy. If you like "The Unquiet Grave" sampler series, grab this CD now.

Rasputina's "Hunter's Kiss" is a good opener, and dance clubs should run this in place of the band's beaten-to-death "Transylvanian Concubine." The Flir's "Lick" is a nice blend of Cocteau Twins and a shoegazer beat.

Standouts:
Cranes - "Flute Song": Gorgeous; sounds like a serial-killer slow-dance.
The Creatures - "Slipping Away": Siouxsie and Budgie continue to flirt with a Beatles style.
Violet Indiana - "Purr La Perla": Desolate and dreamy; perfect for a David Lynch movie.
Miranda Sex Garden - "Ardera Sempre": An oldie but goodie. Katharine Blake is one of the great goth sirens.
Livid Kittens - "Flying": similar to "Purr La Perla." A slow, sultry ballad.

The last four songs aren't as memorable, but none of them are awful. This CD is a good value, and like any decent collection, it sparks your interest in the bands' own stuff.


Mesmerizing Compilation   January 11, 2006
 7 out of 7 found this review helpful

For fans of the spell-like quality of medieval rock and shoegazing/dreampop, 12 Tales is a rare little must-own. It's probably my favorite compilation CD ever made. It initially attracted me by the cover art (I'm a huge Amy Brown fan) and then pulled me in by the track list--Rasputina, Cranes, Violet Indiana, and Miranda Sex Garden all on the same album? Sweet! I was immediately made a fan of the lesser-known artists on 12 Tales, such as The Flir, Bitstream Dream, Future Bible Heroes, and Livid Kittens. A booklet insert is a neat little feature, as mini-story and a piece of Amy Brown's fairy art accompany every track listing.

Don't except anything too heavy here--rather, the CD consists of 12 atmospheric tunes that will take you straight to Dreamland. Highlights are the Crane's "Flute Song," which has melodic aching quality set to a soft baseline; Bitstream Dream's "Impossible Gardens," which carries trace-like vocals set to a mid-eastern vibe; Violet Indiana's "Purr la Perla," which has this faraway, wistful texture; and David Sylvian's "Room of Sixteen Shimmers," a darkwave, fantasy gem.



Add it to get Super Saver Shipping Now!   July 6, 2005
 6 out of 10 found this review helpful

For any fan of Amy Brown, Rasputina, MSG, this is the set for you. Not a bad song on the list, and many great exclusives, including some of the most attractive packaging I've ever seen on a CD. The storybook is gorgeous, and the disc itself is like a random shuffle of my playlist. I love it!


Much Better than Pop Music   April 17, 2002
 4 out of 5 found this review helpful

On a whim, I decided to purchase this CD since I'm a fan of Changeling: The Dreaming. The CD has nothing to do with that game, but the fairy art was what caught my attention. The insert was illustrated very well.

As for the music itself, I believe it's like a coffee. You have to acquire a taste. The first track, Hunter's Kiss has a very interesting style, reminisant of old music froma record player. The music is scratchy to sound a bit aged.

Broadly speaking, this CD will most likly tickle the pallet of those who are fans of darker music like Goth and Alternative.

I also find the beat to the CD to be fairly soothing and it's quite plesant to actually fall asleep to. Oh What A Dream It Was could almost be a lullaby, if it wern't for the actual story in the lyrics.

So overall, I'd recomment this CD if you like this type of musical style. If you like pop music... er... well, it might be your bane. Peronally at the price it's selling for, it dosen't seem that they are making a lot of money off it like some notorious artists in the Pop industry.