reviewed by: George Parsons for Dream Magazine

Their music is icy dreaminess. Vocalist Kristy Moss has an innocent and fragile-sounding voice which elevates “Your Ways” to heights unknown. Steeped in reverb-drenched samples and blooping synthesizers, the music of Sailor’s Warning sounds as if it is floating just off the coast of Antarctica, singing lullabies to the clear night sky. When a guitar part emerges to the front of the mix it’s cause for celebration, as Ed Ballinger is as tasteful a guitarist as there is (track four, “Are You Still There”, is my exhibit A). Speaking of which, there’s an adorable little thing that happens toward the end of “Are You Still There” that must be heard to be believed. So with a sense of humor and a pinch of carefree slack, Con Dolore create a sweet and lazy masterpiece.

I honestly wish there would be more from this band, but this appears to be the end. This album is fantastic and you owe it to yourself to hear it.

reviewed by: Jack Alberson for FAC193

Sailor's Warning essentially picks up right where 2001's fantastic This Sad Movie left off. The band doesn't discard the sound that made their previous CD such a treat to experience. Although Con Dolore exhibits many of the characteristics of dreampop/shoegazer music, they are a little less dejected and a bit more perky in their approach. Kristy Moss' vocals are delicate yet not so precious that you feel as though they might shatter if you turn up the volume. The musical stage setting created by Ballinger and Snowden is involved and arranged quite neatly. Although there is a sense of despondency and more appropriately, anxious anticipation, throughout the CD, Sailor's Warning never becomes an exercise in digging one's toe into the dirt while looking away from everyone. The statement by the band is, "Yeah, we have some emotions we're dealing with here, but hey, at least we're dealing."

While This Sad Movie's encompassing theme may have made it a slightly more complete package, Sailor's Warning is an apt, comforting farewell from a band who I wish would have stuck around a bit longer. Con Dolore's music is extremely rich and enthralling. Without a doubt, both CDs are worth finding and keeping.

reviewed by: John Chedsey for Satan Stole My Teddy Bear

reviewed by: Godsend Online

Kristy Moss' voice compliments the instruments of bandmates Ed Ballinger and Wes Snowden with a more light and airy focus. The band's music, still very reminiscent of My Bloody Valentine and Velour 100, creates a very slow melodic path and then progresses into a little edgier pop. With the wonderful performances on this album, Con Dolore has once again filled some formidable shoegazing pop shoes.

reviewed by: Megan Holmes for Venus

Things start off nicely with "Your Ways," which has a really nice vocal melody courtesy of Kristy Moss. The rest of the band throws some simplistic, delayed guitar lines with some advanced programming. Overall, it works quite nicely and the tune remains memorable and catchy. "A Snowy 3 Miles" sounds like if MBV had access to today's modern synths, computers, and other electronic instruments. I've found after a few listens the track really grows on you, as does the superb recording quality of the instrumentation. I'm listening with headphones, and the panning delay really puts the listener in a blissful trance. Con Dolore gets even spacier with delays shooting all over the place in "Faces in Drapes." The odd sounds of drips and glitches work well, but I'm not finding any type of memorable memory. "Intermission" is slightly humorous with a slight ode to those old advertisements in movies, complete with the samples and everything. However, I'm turined off by the song because it's simply acoustic guitars over constantly repeated vocals of "sit back baby and have yourself a drink." The track feels out of place and is the perfect time to get up out of the room and grab some sort of beverage - better than listening to the actual song.

"Quietly and Still" takes things back up a notch, initially sounding like earlier Autechre with an IDM feel. The group throws some nice guitars in and manages to produce a melancholic down-tempo number that sounds like Slowdive playing electronica. "A Giant Wave" sounds similar to Mojave 3 with acoustic instrumentation and manages to remain quite somber. Things end with "Mutiny," a track that has a vintage synth feel amonst Moss' unique vocal style. It works well, and the tune takes the listener on one last trip through the clouds before letting them go.

Con Dolore is a talented band, and this is showcased by the earlier tracks. However, after the second half of the record I'm not finding anything that really stands out as extrodinary. I'm digging their neo-shoegazer style and wish they would have developed better melodies on the latter tracks. Nevertheless, the songs that are good have really nice melodies, and if you're into any of the aforementioned bands this might be something you want to consider.

reviewed by: Jeff Cooper for Delusions of Adequacy

Snowden's loping bass indicates some fairly strong Cocteaus and Cure obsessions at play, but Con Dolore's particular take is more a mélange of various approaches. Moss generally speaking isn't a singer aiming at drowning her words or having them drowned for her, and if she's not as precise as Love Spirals Downwards' first singer Suzanne Perry, say, on the flip she's almost a less affected Bjork. There's the same keening edge to her singing at points but (for better or worse, depending on how you feel) less of the improvised ululations that mark the Icelandic singer's approach. Ballinger's singing is a sometimes rasp/whine that works better than might be thought, as on "Faces in Drapes" or "A Giant Wave." Sometimes the two blend perfectly—case in point, the late sixties Beach Boys strum and harmonize-along "Intermission." More invitations to come have a drink should be so relaxed.

Meanwhile, all three members are credited with sampling of one sort or another, and though the end effect is more that particular take on techno beats that isn't the cutting edge in the field itself, it's still distractingly beautiful when used right. On "A Snowy 3 Miles" the sudden cuts and stabs of louder and echoed beats amidst the blurry rise and fall of Ballinger's guitars and particularly his synth playing is particularly fine. At the albums' best, all the various influences combine to produce a steady whole—the pleasing pop chug of "Are You Still There?," for example, or "Quietly and Still," which in spite of the name is actually a gently active little thing. Closing song "Mutiny" pulls out the building epic 'gaze stops in classic Slowdive style—it might not quite be "Primal" but it's one good way to end a very good album.

reviewed by: Ned Raggett for fakejazz.com

reviewed by: IMPACT Press