The Blue Nile has been around over 20 years and during their score of years have released a whopping 4 albums - High coming nearly a decade after their previous Peace At Last. Their records have all been characterized by containing one or two really good songs with the rest sounding like filler that eventually wears itself into your cortex after you get tired of skipping around. High actually defies this trend by being an album without any real standout tracks, but with repeated spins most of the tunes wind up ingratiating themselves. The thing about Blue Nile is that they're a completely original band, they are truly in a category all their own, and the moody, urban, atmospheric soundscapes are worth looking into, though I would recommend Hats as the best entry portal. The Scottish trio is a mostly synthesized affair, led by the stunning vocals of Paul Buchanan, whose voice is almost impossible to compare to anyone else I can think of. My biggest knock on the band is their maddening tendancy to use the most miminalistic song structure - usually just a verse melody that is expanded upon slightly to create what I would reluctantly call a chorus. Other times it's just a chorus theme that varies slightly enough to eventually sound like a verse. On balance I would place High in a two-way tie with A Walk Across the Rooftops as their second best album, which leaves one album slightly superior and one slightly inferior. Slight is the best word to describe The Blue Nile, though, for some reason I quite like them.