We Are The Beautiful (Spooky Extravaganja dub mix) (8:27)
Frost (4:00)
Age (3:38)
Review: In all honesty, moving straight from the rousing, slightly grinding wall of sound with which 'We Are The Beautiful' signs off, into the lunging bass of a stomping Spooky dub edit of the same track, is both unexpected and a bit jarring. The noisy end of shoegaze-leaning indie into pared back prog-hued tech house from one of the all-time masters, anyone? But then that's kind of the point we want to celebrate.
Chapterhouse may only just be getting the reappraisal they deserve now, over a decade after their last and rather brief reunion tour (with She's A Vision also hitting our shelves early-2023), but their influence on heads and artists alike was significant. Debut album Whirlpool, for example, remains for many a high point of the entire shoegaze movement. Here are three more tracks to prove that point, and one belting - if sonically isolated - remix.
Review: This reissue marks the vinyl debut of Alien Ant Farm's 2003 album, a record that captures the band's energetic blend of alternative rock and nu-metal. Produced by Stone Temple Pilots' Robert and Dean DeLeo, the album features a raw and powerful sound, with tracks like '1000 Days' and 'Drifting Apart' showcasing the band's heavy riffs and dynamic songwriting. 'Quiet' and 'Glow' offer moments of introspection, while 'These Days' and 'Sarah Wynn' deliver infectious melodies and catchy hooks. The album also includes a four-page booklet with lyrics, adding another dimension to the listening experience. This reissue is a must-have for fans of Alien Ant Farm and anyone who appreciates the raw energy and melodic hooks of early 2000s alternative rock.
B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition
The Affectionate Punch
Amused As Always
Logan Time
Paper House
Transport To Central
A Matter Of Gender
Even Dogs In The Wild
Would I Bounce Back
Deeply Concerned
A
Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition***
From the first notes of the Talking Heads-esque opening of the title track, which has none other than The Cure's Robert Smith as guest backing vocalist, this album by the great Scottish post-punk legends The Associates has you hooked. It's littered with standout moments, but the wiry bassline which underpins the offbeat guitar on 'Amused As Always' is high up there. It manages to pull off being belligerently repetitive by offsetting any sense of monotony with sheer style. Meanwhile, frontman Billy MacKenzie - who tragically died before his time in 1997 - has a voice to rival that of Robert Smith himself in terms of tone. The Associates may not be as readily cited in the typical indie record collection - but they're probably your favourite band's favourite band. regardless, this album is going to challenge why you've resisted so long in not putting it at the heart of your collection.
Review: From the first notes of the Talking Heads-esque opening of the title track, which has none other than The Cure's Robert Smith as guest backing vocalist, this album by the great Scottish post-punk legends The Associates has you hooked. It's littered with standout moments, but the wiry bassline which underpins the offbeat guitar on 'Amused As Always' is high up there. It manages to pull off being belligerently repetitive by offsetting any sense of monotony with sheer style. Meanwhile, frontman Billy MacKenzie - who tragically died before his time in 1997 - has a voice to rival that of Robert Smith himself in terms of tone. The Associates may not be as readily cited in the typical indie record collection - but they're probably your favourite band's favourite band. regardless, this album is going to challenge why you've resisted so long in not putting it at the heart of your collection.
Review: The Associates' Fourth Drawer Down, originally released in October 1981, is being reissued by Music On Vinyl as a limited edition, numbered 180g audiophile silver vinyl LP in a gatefold sleeve. This compilation album from the Scottish post-punk and new wave band collects the A and B-sides from their six singles released that year. Compared to their debut album, The Affectionate Punch, the tracks on Fourth Drawer Down delve into darker, more experimental territory. Noteworthy tracks include 'Tell Me Easter's on Sunday,'' driven by a sombre, pulsing beat and mournful guitar and 'Q Quarters,' is desolately beautiful. The inventive 'Kitchen Person' uses a rhythm from an electric typewriter and Mackenzie's vocals through a vacuum cleaner, while album's title refers to a drawer in their flat holding herbal relaxants. Inspired pop classiness from one of the most underrated bands of all time.
Review: Au Pairs imploded shortly after releasing this terrific second and last album of theirs. The Birmingham post-punk band are said to have burned the candle at both ends after the success of their debut and rushed into the studio to make this album. Despite internal disputes, the band managed to take their Gang Of Four-esque sound to new levels. They are more adventurous than on the preceding record as there's saxophone and synth, making for a more textured and layered approach than before. Lyrically, Au Pairs are one of the most important bands of their era. Shockingly avant-garde in the early 80s when it was released, they tackled sexuality and gender politics with ire and wit. The standout on this album: 'Sex Without Stress' - a brilliant lampooning of the societal pressure around sex.
B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition
Don't Lie Back (4:50)
(That's When) It's Worth It (4:07)
Instant Touch (3:01)
Sex Without Stress (4:32)
Fiasco (3:48)
Intact (3:17)
Tongue In Cheek (3:03)
Stepping Out Of Line (6:01)
Shakedown (4:23)
America (5:21)
Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition***
Au Pairs imploded shortly after releasing this terrific second and last album of theirs. The Birmingham post-punk band are said to have burned the candle at both ends after the success of their debut and rushed into the studio to make this album. Despite internal disputes, the band managed to take their Gang Of Four-esque sound to new levels. They are more adventurous than on the preceding record as there's saxophone and synth, making for a more textured and layered approach than before. Lyrically, Au Pairs are one of the most important bands of their era. Shockingly avant-garde in the early 80s when it was released, they tackled sexuality and gender politics with ire and wit. The standout on this album: 'Sex Without Stress' - a brilliant lampooning of the societal pressure around sex.
Review: Black Grape was founded by former members of The Happy Mondays, Shaun Ryder and Bez (a.k.a. Mark Berry). New band members included rappers Paul "Kermit" Leveridge, Carl "Psycho" McCarthy, drummer Ged Lynch (all three from the first wave of UK hip-hop and influential Hulme, Manchester act Ruthless Rap Assassins), guitarist Paul Wagstaff (from the Paris Angels), and Oli "Dirtycash" Dillon on ocarina. It's Great When You're Straight... Yeah contains ten catchy songs, most prominently the album's preceding hit single 'In The Name Of The Father', with influences from indie-pop, alternative, funk, disco, with rough guitar, rapping all glued together and produced by American Danny Saber. On release in 1993, the debut album immediately charted at the very top of the UK Albums chart and was certified Platinum.
Review: Classic rock up there with the likes of Audioslave, Foo Fighters and Guns N Roses, Kentucky natives Black Stone Cherry write anthems that make you want to put your foot down on a vintage hotrod and blaze a trail through the desert. The guitar playing is supreme with flashy solos and a Led Zeppelin-esque ability to hone a riff. Singer Chris Robertson has a bit of Chris Cornell about him with a rich timbre and strength to be able to sing in front of a wall of stack amps without sounding drowned out. This is a reissue of their second album that originally came out in 2008 on the label that gave us Slipknot - Roadrunner. It's a critically acclaimed entry point to their oeuvre and went to number one in the UK Rock Album Chart when it was first released.
Review: Much like the Sex Pistols, Bow Wow Wow were as much a product of Malcolm McLaren's commercial nous and love of provocation as they were a band, but with the passage of time you can hear their music in a different light. Made up of former Adam & The Ants members and teenage singer Annabella Lwin, they whipped up a powerful twist on the new wave template in which Burundi-style drumming, twanging Americana and post-punk scratchiness collided with pop hooks. If you can't get enough of that era of music, you will surely love discovering or re-discovering this breakthrough album from one of popular music's true curios.
Review: After six years, Buffalo Tom returns with Jump Rope, their tenth studio album. During lockdown, the band exchanged ideas, resulting in a backlog of songs. Despite their hiatus, Buffalo Tom remains a beacon of guitar rock, their timelessly crafted songs transcending trends. BBC praises their deeper take on indie, Magnet highlights their authenticity over posturing. The album reflects a shift towards acoustic, quieter production, yet retains Buffalo Tom's signature intensity. Rehearsing quietly, the band added electric guitars and overdubs, culminating in a beautiful and thrilling new release. Jump Rope solidifies Buffalo Tom's enduring legacy in the alternative rock scene. This edition comes on beautiful magenta vinyl complete with insert inside for more information on the release.
Review: The self-titled debut studio album by Jacksonville-based rock band Cold, originally released in 1998. Discovered by A&R man Fred Durst (from Limp Bizkit), Cold burst onto the scene with this potent blend of raw emotion, haunting melodies, and powerful instrumentation. Led by vocalist Scoot Ward, the band quickly garnered attention for their introspective lyrics and intense live performances. With a variegated nu-metal sound - the listener is only first thrust into an ostensibly incendiary sound with 'Go Away', both satisfyingly crisp and grungey in equal measure, before finding respite in the more temperate moments that pepper the record, as on 'Ugly' or 'Strip Her Down' - Cold recalls every influence between Alice In Chains and Type O Negative, and nestles a palpably unique sense of longing in the cracks between the otherwise more prescriptive pillars of the grunge style.
Review: Cranes' third album, Loved offers the band's unique blend of alternative rock, shoegaze, dream-pop, and darkwave. Released in 1994, it solidified Cranes' reputation for crafting beautifully orchestrated and constructed songs that evoke a strange and powerful atmosphere. Fresh off their tour opening for the The Cure in late 1992, Cranes returned to their gothic roots while still maintaining the essence of their previous album, Forever. The album shows a variety of musical styles and emotions, Loved is a masterpiece of minimalistic perfection, seamlessly blending gothic ether and shoegaze droning. Even decades later, its beauty remains timeless. Cranes evoke a longing for connection amidst dreamy atmospheres. Unexpected bursts of sonic exaltation punctuate the album, adding to its magnificence. Now available as a 30th-anniversary edition on white marbled vinyl, Loved is a must-have for fans of Cranes and anyone who appreciates finely crafted alternative music. With only 1000 individually numbered copies, this edition is sure to become a collector's item for enthusiasts of the band's distinctive sound.
Review: Cuckoo was their second full length from Curve - Toni Halliday on vocals and guitar with Dean Garcia - and saw its release in 1993. This album was heavier, focused and featured stronger, more aggressive rhythms that evolved from their first album. Heavily influenced by bombastic urban and electronic beats but favouring shoegaze effects on the guitars, making for a unique combination that made Cuckoo stand out from the rest, ultimately predating similar sounds from bands like Garbage. This album holds key tracks like the amazing 'Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus' as well as the singles 'Missing Link' and 'Super Blaster'. The effects of Curve are still being felt today by those who discover them and fans of the producer Flood should definitely be aware of this album if they are not already. This reissue comes on limited numbered 180- Gram pink & purple vinyl LP complete with an insert.
Review: The Darling Buds were an alternative rock band from Newport, Wales. They formed in 1986, were named after the H. E. Bates novel The Darling Buds of May and Erotica is their third and final album, released a few weeks before Madonna's album of the same name in October 1992. The album contained the US single, 'Long Day In The Universe', which was featured on the soundtrack for the Mike Myers film, So I Married an Axe Murderer. Erotica is available as a limited edition of 750 individually numbered copies on translucent yellow coloured vinyl and includes an insert.
Review: It could have all been so different when Death In Vegas first formed. Richard Fearless and Steve Hellier spawned the project in 1994 and got signed under the name Dead Elvis, but legal wrangling got in the way and they used the name for their debut album instead. Now Music On Vinyl have repressed the 1997 classic so we can revel in the grizzled take on big beat and trip hop the pair cooked up. It's very much of its time, but there's a snarl to the production which sets Death In Vegas apart from their peers at the time, opting for the dive bar ambience over the festival main stage you'd hear when playing The Chemical Brothers or Leftfield. For that reason Dead Elvis has aged very well indeed.
Review: It's not without good reason four tracks from this unforgettable third album made it onto TV ads and movie soundtracks. Everything about the record is huge and absolutely impossible to ignore. There's the drawled Mancuian indie Britishness of its title track, with Oasis man Liam Gallagher giving it his typical all on lyrical duties. The lo-fi, almost nursery rhyme psychedelics of '23 Lies'. And the strange, alien-like bleeps and warbles of 'Natja'.
This is before we mention the parts with Dot Allison, Hope Sandoval, Nicola Kuperus and Paul Weller. As per usual, Richard Fearless' electronica project - which claims at least another 11 names in its part time members list - is as fearless as it is majestic. Taking us to the soaring heights of string-filled 'Help Youself', before hitting us with the wall of sound alternative rock and rave synths of 'Leather'.
B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition
Flying North (3:41)
Commercial Breakup (4:18)
Weightless (3:43)
Europa & The Pirate Twins (3:18)
Windpower (3:57)
The Wreck Of The Fairchild (3:34)
Airwaves (4:59)
Radio Silence (3:43)
Cloudburst At Shingle Street (5:30)
Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition***
It might cost a bit more to manufacture but 180g vinyl is much more satisfying to hold. There's something in your brain that tells you weight correlates to quality and it's best to trust it. This decadent cut of silver vinyl is for the reissue of synth-pop legend Thomas Dolby's joyous masterpiece of a debut album (originally released in 1982). From the moment the first notes strike on the technopop opener 'Flying North', it's assured and makes you want to strap in for the long haul and when you do you're rewarded with eclectic leftfield hits, such as 'She Blinded Me With Science', which is so groovy and trippy it make you feel like you're strutting your stuff in the crowd on Top of the Pops in the 80s. It's an album that's up there with anything from the likes of Soft Cell, OMD or Gary Numan.
Review: New wave/synth pop artist Thomas Dolby is on extrovert mode here on his joyous, funky third studio album. Originally released in 1988, the album didn't fare particularly well commercially, at least compared to his 1982 hit 'She Blinded Me With Science', but the sheer inventiveness on display here makes it an underrated gem. The slap bass-laden single 'Hot Sauce' isn't shy in its use of light double entendre and when you think you have it pinned down musically, a Spaghetti Western interlude appears and there's a salsa outro. Elsewhere, on 'My Brain Is Like A Sieve' reggae and sophisti-pop collide to stunning effect and the tongue-in-cheek hit 'Airhead' shows off his David Bowie-esque pop baritone, whilst showering us in a stylistic stew.
Review: First released by EMI and Capitol Records in 1984, critics were in two-minds at the time Thomas Dolby put out his second studio LP. Peaking at No.14 in the UK Albums Chart, and with first single 'Hyperactive!' hitting No.17 in the singles chart, his highest-ranking track, the public reception was certainly warmer. Many music writers were caught between an appreciation for the lyrical poetry and sense of rhythm, but put off by the fact "his passion for texture subsumes what small knack he has for cruder, more linear devices." Skip forward 40 years, to a time when electronic instruments - from synths to AI - have well and truly come to dominate popular music, and the idea that Dolby could ever be considered dull seems unthinkable. What's here is carnival-worthy synth pop the likes of which David Byrne would be proud of. Enough said.
Review: Delaware is one of the classic shoegaze records. Formed in Boston in 1991, Drop Nineteens instantly attracted much attention from the UK media and record companies, eventually signing to Hut records. Their debut Delaware is a beautiful record, noisy and melodic in equal measure, a record full of youth and innocence. The mix of the predominately English shoegaze style with a more American style akin to the Pixies and Sonic Youth gave Drop Nineteens a distinctive sound. The album has instant pop thrills such as 'Winona', rambling LSD-influenced lo-fi epics such as 'Kick The Tragedy', indie pop gems such as 'Your Aquarium', with a cheeky and full blooded cover of Madonna's 'Angel' thrown in for good measure - yet it still hangs together as a coherent album.
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