Autumn's Grey Solace's fourth album is the step forward that the duo needed to make after its enjoyable but still strongly derivative earlier efforts. Something about Shades of Grey -- whether it's the brighter, more direct arrangements, Erin Welton's more varied and accomplished vocals, the way the album packs in a lot over a short period of time, or something more than that -- something that combines it all -- has finally set Welton and Scott Ferrell on their own course. Certainly the roots are clear throughout (in amusing ways sometimes -- "Fodderwing" might well be the best song title the Cocteau Twins never used), but the sense of Shades of Grey is one of excitement and experimentation, building on the past instead of revisiting it. Songs like the title track, with its quick, easygoing grace, and "In the Darkest Night" hint at the same post-goth sensibilities that animated the sprightlier side of acts like the Smashing Pumpkins, less tortured than atmospherically warm. Also, the band seriously rocks out more than ever before -- the initial gloom guitar slabs on "Cold Sea" turn into a dramatic, huge chorus, approaching that point that groups like the Gathering have done from an opposite but similar direction (even the solo insanity works in a sudden '80s flashback vein). Other songs like "Angel of Light" throw in similarly fierce approaches but there's plenty of elegant texture throughout the album, up to and including the slow, mesmerizing closer "Still." Some songs don't quite gel as they could -- "Last Tear"'s swooping vocals are more weirdly unsettling than captivating (which could certainly be the point) -- but they're small setbacks on a really enjoyable, invigorating release. ~ Ned Raggett, All Music Guide

Latest album from this prolific shoegazer band. Treasure Box is perfect dreampop topped off by the distinctive vocals of Erin Welton, whose voice comes across as part sugar-coated, part atmospheric and part powerful. Cold Sea introduces a new biting, dark rock sound not previously heard from the band. Angel of Light has Erin's sugary and ethereal vocals over a backdrop of floaty spacerock guitar instrumentation. Last Tear is from the more sombre side of dreampop and features the more forceful side of Erin's vocal style. Hidden is an upbeat, poppy number with a catchy chorus. Shades of Grey is another classic slice of dreampop with jangly as well as atmospheric guitar sounds, and the janglepop influence can also be heard in Fodderwing. In The Darkest Night introduces elements of gothic rock and occasionally puts me in mind of 90s band The Witches, who had a couple of tapes out on Music & Elsewhere. Edge of the World is floaty dreampop with soaring vocals. The Cell is a very beautiful song from the ethereal side of janglepop. The album is completed with Still, an astonishing atmospheric track with shimmering ambient guitar work. An absolute must for fans of the dreampop/shoegazer scene.

This is AGS’s most experimental album yet, as they twist their patented dream-pop sound into darker and harder territory. Tracks like “Cold Sea,” and “Last Tear” flirt with metal, while pieces like “In The Darkest Night” and the title track are almost completely sweet indie-pop—think Velocity Girl. There are still ambient guitar parts—the glimmering “Edge of the World” could be a Victorialand outtake and “Fodderwing” wispily flutters by. Guitarist Scott Ferrell does a couple of old -fashioned virtuoso licks along side the jangly, shimmery textures, and Erin Welton opens her voice up. The rougher singing on “Last Tear” and “Darkest Night” have depth and coloration that contrasts nicely with the sugary angel-fairy tones she uses, and most of her lyrics are about sour relationships. AGS still sound like the Cocteau Twins/Lush and Slowdive, but they are gradually adding darker elements. Maybe they’re closet Metallic fans. With Shade of Grey, they stand apart from the shoegaze crowd.

How lovely, dazzling and moody this is. With respect to their clear predecessors, the (later) Cocteau Twins and (earlier) Love Spirals Downwards, Autumn's Grey Solace have rebuilt the shimmering craft of ethereal/shoegazer rock and have equipped it with their own essentials. Erin Welton's luminous vocals are untethered and airy, but her tenderness keeps her real, while Scott Ferrell's guitar is fantastically interdependent with her. The guitar envelops and cushions her in a fabric of smoothly shifting color and texture, displaying Ferrell's ability to build a solid structure and play a role equal to Welton's in creating the dreamy, involving atmosphere. This album is already timeless, certain to stay aloft and to be loved more with each hearing. -Carolee

It's great to have favorite artists releasing music so often, yet the music remains of great quality without getting too bland or stale. This duo seems to have found a creative groove because they manage to do just that by releasing an album every year for the past three years. On top of that, each one has a little different material to offer, with some variety within the solid foundation of ethereal/shoegazer styles that they have built their fanbase on.

Pretty much everything on this album makes the listener sit up and pay attention, even though the whispy vocals and shimmering guitars try hard to lull you into a dreamy trance. This dreamy, drifting rhythm and beauty shine through on "Treasure Box" which kicks off the album. After this we immediately see a different twist on this album and for this group as the percussion intensifies on "Cold Sea" and a few other tracks. Though the heavy, grinding guitars are something often present in related genres, along with a heavier, more pronounced beat, these are not typical for this duo, so we see some new ground explored here. However, the most divergent thing is when Scott goes off on the rock guitar work that is definitely impressive, and definitely not something you would expect in the genre, but he manages to pull it off well on this track. I don't want to put too much emphasis on this shift in style, because it's not prevalant enough for anyone to think the band is heading off in a different direction. In fact, we're immediately brought back to what I would call a definite dreamy shoegazer classic in "Angel of Light", though still building up to quite an aggressive crescendo various times throughout, it helps to tie this new direction in with the old.

At this point we're brought low to the tormenting piece "Last Tear" with an anguished lament that could break anyone's heart just by listening. This brings us back to what I would call the "original" sound from this band in this piece, followed by "Hidden" which is a bit more upbeat, and the title track to this album "Shades Of Grey" which is right inline with that ethereal shoegazer feeling. These pieces are just everything you would expect from this band, remaining upbeat, dreamy and simply allowing their talents to shine through. "Fodderwing" includes a little more of a rock beat and definitely something closer to what you may have heard on the radio when Cocteau Twins would get airplay on commercial radio before the "alternative" genre became anything but alternative.

"In The Darkest Night" is one of those songs that sits right on the border between dreamy ethereal and a moving shoegazer piece with a moving beat. While the vocals and soaring guitars lull the listener to sleep, the driving beat that has become more prominent on this album really keeps the listener moving. This also acts as a great segue into the really beautiful ethereal portion of the album which is the final three tracks. Each of these pieces in turn slowly send the listener adrift with the somber soundscapes that the guitar weaves in and out of the mesmerizing vocals.

With that, the album comes to a close and anyone can see why this group has quickly become a favorite within these genres. It's great to hear the new ground they are exploring, and comforting to be able to hang onto such a familiar mood and sound. This is another great album that fans of this dreamy style of music should pick up. Rating: 4.5/5 -Jacob Bogedahl

Autumn’s Grey Solace consists of Erin Welton and Scott Ferrell, and their latest CD “Shades Of Grey” is a decadent and beautifully filled album of magical places where fairies go to rest their wings, lavish jeweled waterfalls and singing streams that only know peace and purity, woods that harbor enchantment and healing, places where animals roam free with love and respect. Roads that will take your heart to your most inner thoughts and dreams while revitalizing your spirit under full moons of crystal light and midnight magic, to days where the sun relishes and kisses your skin in calming warmth and joyfulness.

Songs which took me to another realms I was unaware of, and instantly became drawn toward, or for, the other songs where my soul and heart had in some way or another been blessed to feel the emotions expressed by Autumn’s Grey Solace's music are “Treasure Box”, “Cold Sea”, “Shades Of Grey”, “Fodderwing” and “The Cell”.

All of the fantastic places from where your most sacred and hopeful dreams live and are born from, do exist when you let your soul be open to the gently and gorgeous places to be seen and felt, when listening to the inspiring lyrics and gossamer coated voice of Erin Welton, and the majestic and bewitching artistry of musician Scott Ferrell.

For more information on Autumn’s Grey Solace check them out tat http://www.myspace.com/autumnsgreysolace and http://www.autumnsgreysolace.com/ -Lynda Dale MacLean

Staking a claim in the sonic space between Cocteau Twins and The Sundays, Autumn's Grey Solace make a sublime mixture of dreampop, shoegaze, and ethereal goth. Subdued percussion, layers of processed guitars, and Erin Welton's heavenly voice fuse together to make a sound perfect for those rainy days where the dark clouds have yet to fully obscure the sky. What sets Shades of Grey apart from other albums written in a similar vein is the general atmosphere of the record; whereas other bands pile on the doom and gloom to an almost suffocating degree, Autumn's Grey Solace lets the music breathe. Though I would not characterize these songs as particularly uplifting, they possess a shimmering beauty that shines through the shadows. A fragile beauty, perhaps, but a beauty nonetheless. 4 out of 5. -Jack

Shoegazer pop is widely netted genre of soft, dreamy music. Done well, it is a style of music that can hang around in the mind for a long time. And like other styles of music, shoegazer pop is experimented with to give it signature, a distinction amongst bands.

One of the dreamiest of bands was Love Spirals Downward, with soaring vocals that accented the layers of music that lifted their songs. Love Spirals Downward has since graduated to more defining styles, a shortened name (Love Spirals) and greater diversity. But their older sounds were standard setting and it is heard in the works of Autumn’s Grey Solace.

Their 4th, and latest album, Shades of Grey, incorporate the style of Love Spirals Downward, the shimmering guitars of Cocteau Twins, and a hint of Lycia in some of their tunes (“Last Tear” is a brilliant example). But what separates the band from all of their influences is the vocal power of their female vocalist, Erin Welton. She brings intensity to the band that moves them into a class by themselves and therefore setting new standards for followers.

Shades of Grey provide 11 tracks that wrap around your spine sending currents of dreampop bliss along the nerve paths. There isn’t a song on this album that gets relegated to b-side status, and that’s because every song on this album is of the highest standard – well composed, well produced, and all encompassing. All songs involve relationship issues, whether good, bad, or questionable, they are all excellent for this type of music.

Most notable tracks include “Cold Sea,” which breaks in the middle with a swarm of lead guitar that takes you by surprise given the flow of the song; the Lycia-like “Last Tear,” and the memorable “Hidden” with its beautifully captivating chorus of “…hush, don’t speak, hush don’t say a word…” The album title track is a Cocteau Twins-like tune. Playback St Louis writes, in its review of Autumn’s Grey Solace, that the band comes close to filling the void left by the Cocteau Twins. In all actuality, Autumn’s Grey Solace is every bit as good as the Cocteau Twins were, and I emphasize were. Autumn’s Grey Solace owns that realm now. -Matt Rowe

The fourth album from Autumn's Grey Solace, Shades of Grey, is decidedly not Metal, in case any of you would be confused. No, this album falls firmly in another realm. Perhaps it is Darkwave, something that the Projekt Records label has specialized in (created?) for many years. The label apparently calls this sound Dream-pop or Shoegazer and regardless, AGS is moody like The Cure in the early years but with an overall Gothic vibe. Perhaps the Cocteau Twins or Siouxsie and the Banshees would be more apt comparisons, particularly since these bands feature a female vocalist of an arguably similar style. Speakin' o' Metal, "Cold Sea" flirts with the notion thereof with its distorted guitar and Samhain-sounding layered synths and guitar lines, never mind the rocking guitar solo 2/3 of the way through. Scott Ferrell's music is quite a capable vehicle for the impassioned vocals of one Erin Welton, or vice versa, though this sound is indeed steeped in quite a bit of pop sensibility. Also invoked is Julee Cruise, though Welton is less dreamy, more powerful, and a bit of a vocal chameleon to Cruise's one-trick pony. Having listened to this album quite a few times prior to the current listen during the writing of this review, I will say that while Autumn's Grey Solace isn't my usual cup o' tea, they have released a catchy record that could make it on (more) mainstream radio, certainly college radio. Shades of Grey is an interesting and even haunting listen. Thanks, Sam. Keep up the good work. -Tony Belcher

It's been thirteen years since I reviewed so many shoegaze records, let alone laudable ones. St. Augustine, Florida's AGS have been around a while, as Shades is the male-female duo's fourth LP in five years. Not all of Shades is the apparently-undying dreampop; there is also a handful of goth and darkwave tracks (the latter a strong Projekt staple for years), forming a different backing for silky vocalist Erin Welton--more like the days of Fetisch X-Mal Deutschland, Kaleidoscope Siouxsie & the Banshees, or Garlands Cocteau Twins. But the rest is the stuff of Scott Ferrell's gorgeous treated guitars, Welton's honey voice (more Sundays, Cranberries, Opal, and Mazzy Star than Liz Fraser, Siouxsie Sioux, or Anja Huwe), and a Lush-ious late-night glide through wnitry evergreens ears luxuriate in--like the later Cocteaus circa Heaven and Las Vegas or Milk & Kisses. Love it. -Jack Rabid