release date: 1996
format: cd (MEZCD1)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,38]
producer: Justin Jones
label: Mezentian - nationality: England, UK
Track highlights: 1. "Brother Fear" - 3. "The Next Flight to Rome" [instr.] - 6. "Tremaine" - 8. "Roulette" - 9. "The Butcher's Daughter" [instr.]
7th studio album release by And Also the Trees is its only release on the label Mezentian, and the first of two consecutive albums with Justin Jones as producer. Former (favourite) producers Mark Tibenham and Richard Waghorn are credited for mastering and as engineer respectively. In the band's search of a new style this is a more bold attempt with surf rock, which was tempted on The Klaxon (1993). It's really not unsuccessful as Justin Jones plays a fine original surf rock guitar - e.g. as heard on the instrumental tracks "The Next Flight to Rome" and "The Butcher's Daughter", and the overall result is a surprising journey into more positive territories.
My experience here tells me that it may take some time to fully adjust oneself to the blend of surf rock and post-punk, but I have come to consider it a more than decent experiment, which would be continued on the successor.
