  cover art  Pale Young Gentlemen  Black Forest (Tra La La)
(Science of Sound; US: 7 Oct 2008)   Why give such a
geographically-confusing label to the four pale young gentlemen
and three pale young ladies who crafted these 12 lush tunes? The
answer lies in the group’s union of endearing, melancholy
melodies and gentle, pastoral soundscapes; in their sound, Pale
Young Gentlemen capture the feelings that Great Britain’s
overcast skies and bucolic countryside tend to evoke with more
clarity and certainty than any band in recent memory.  Black
Forest (Tra La La) is an album that is modest in its aims, yet
nearly cinematic in its execution; the band never shoots for the
atmospheric hooks or spectacular crescendos produced by their
contemporaries. The album is, however, gently stirring and
thoroughly stunning. While each song is simple in structure and
approached with a certain degree of minimalism, the group
understands how to adorn their work with an unpretentious
beauty.  Pale Young Gentlemen give you a sense o