▁▁ ▁Techn ical ▁personnel ▁▁ ▁Phill ▁Brown ▁– ▁production , ▁mixing ▁ ▁Kevin ▁Sug gs ▁– ▁additional ▁engineering ▁ ▁Pat ▁Sample ▁– ▁assistant ▁engineer ▁ ▁K ip ▁Be el man ▁– ▁assistant ▁engineer ▁ ▁Jason ▁How es ▁– ▁assistant ▁engineer ▁ ▁Dennis ▁Black ham ▁– ▁master ing ▁▁ ▁Add itional ▁personnel ▁▁ ▁Maur izio ▁Po let to ▁– ▁design ▁ ▁En rico ▁Bra vi ▁– ▁design ▁ ▁Mark ▁Van ▁S . ▁– ▁band ▁photograph s ▁ ▁David ▁French ▁– ▁space - ship ▁sculpt ures ▁ ▁Crit ical ▁reception ▁ ▁John ▁D uff y ▁wrote ▁for ▁All music : ▁"... ▁D rench ed ▁in ▁John ▁C ale - like ▁sounds cape ▁was hes ▁and ▁heavy ▁strings , ▁Tra il ▁of ▁Stars ▁comes ▁off ▁as ▁mor ose ▁and ▁dir ge - like . ▁Only ▁" St ra ight ▁to ▁the ▁Stars " ▁doesn ' t ▁feel ▁like ▁a ▁death ▁march . ▁This ▁is ▁fr ustr ating , ▁since ▁the ▁instrument ation ▁of ▁the ▁record ▁is ▁expert ly ▁craft ed ▁and ▁lov ingly ▁played . ▁... " ▁ ▁Don ▁J ates ▁wrote ▁for ▁K EX P - FM : ▁" The ▁veter an ▁Seattle ▁band ▁continues ▁to ▁evol ve ▁with ▁this ▁album ▁of ▁dark , ▁del ic ately ▁text ured ▁atmos pher ic ▁pop ." ▁ ▁Ga est el iste ▁compared ▁it ▁to ▁Port is head , ▁Mass ive ▁Att ack , ▁and ▁Ro xy ▁Music . ▁ ▁Ch arts ▁The ▁album ▁chart ed ▁one ▁week ▁( 3 6 / 1 9 9 9 ) ▁on