Etta James "Her Best - The Chess 50th Anniversary Collection" (1997)

"Her Best - The Chess 50th Anniversary Collection", compilation
release date: 1997
format: digital
[album rate: 3,5 / 5]
producer: various
label: Chess - nationality: USA

20 track compilation album by Etta James.

Sinéad O'Connor "Gospel Oak" (EP) (1997)

Gospel Oak, ep

release date: Jun. 3, 1997

format: cd

[album rate: 3 / 5] [2,92]

producer: John Reynolds

label: Chrysalis Records - nationality: Ireland

Tracklist: 1. "This Is to Mother You" - 2. "I Am Enough for Myself" - 3. "Petit Poulet" - 4. "4 My Love" - 5. "This Is a Rebel Song" - 6. "He Moved Through the Fair" (live)

EP release by Sinéad O'Connor following nearly 3 years after Universal Mother (Sep. 1994). O'Connor may have wanted the predecessor to add new dimensions to her public image but her engagement in various causes, her unmasked political position, and what may be seen as a confrontational nature didn't make the media focus on her music - it had become difficult not to refer to O'Connor's involvement in this or that, and her own willingness, you could say, to participate in TV shows and debates weren't doing her much good throughout the 90s. In early '96 O'Connor gave birth to a daughter, Brigidine Roisin, and nearly immediately O'Connor found herself engaged in a custody battle with the girl's father, Irish journalist John Waters. A process that first came to an end in '99. And once again, O'Connor's love life wasn't without major struggles. In fact, as of '99 it was reported that O'Connor had been hospitalised after attempting suicide.

The Gospel Oak ep thus comes out at a time of disarray and it continues much of the emotional angle she tuned in on with Universal Mother. There's something of a grounding sensation to it where she makes efforts in dwelling on what really matters. Many critics saw it as something more genuine than the predecessor and also with a strong revivalist tone to it. To me, that doesn't seep through, and I generally see it more like an epilogue to what she showed us with her '94 album. Thematically, I think these two releases are closely bonded with songs about motherhood, children, and about true love. Then, she also dedicates the album to "the people of Israel, Rwanda and Northern Ireland" and she has given the album a personalised Star of David containing an extra small dot / circle / star, or perhaps a fetus of sorts. This symbol first fronted the predecessor. I guess, she's really determined about her religious belief and just wants it to express her religious position as someone, who now shares faith with the jewish people and at the same time is someone who understands and respects the rastafari religion. Musically, this comes out as even more quiet and ambient-like than what she presented three years earlier but it has that same soothing sensation to it, as if really wanting to showcase the gentler embrasing and tolerant side. In any case, to me, it just becomes yet another naive expression to a mostly religious-driven mission that drives her music - through and through.

I find it difficult to evaluate this one properly. The thing is, I don't hear a lot of great songs that really appeal to me, and I think that's a good indicator to whether I enjoy something or not. What I do hear is O'Connor's mighty fine vocal singing about love and caring but throughout the album held on her Jewish-Christian-belief, which just soothes an over-the-top appraisal of some divine presence, which in the end makes this touching on unbearable to listen to. I know that's quite harsh, but ultimately, music always serves a purpose, and if one aspect becomes too dominant, then other intensions will be harder to hear and see, and therefore to salute. For my part, I really appreciate O'Connor's vocal but on this, the messaging becomes too apparent and detached from her role as the strong musician she rightfully is. Imo, the album is far from her two great first ones and it's just one of several that indicate what a troublesome life she leads. Unfortunately.

Gospel Oak is her final studio release on the Chrysalis mother label (most of her releases came out on Ensign but was distributed by Chrysalis), and they released the first compilation album So Far... The Best Of with O'Connor's music on Ensign / Chrysalis counting songs mostly taken from her two first studio albums but effectively from the first decade of her career.

The Gospel Oak ep is not one of her best releases and not recommended.

[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5, 👉Rolling Stone 3 / 5 stars ]

Grant McLennan "In Your Bright Ray" (1997)

In Your Bright Ray

release date: Jul. 1997

format: cd

[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,86]

producer: Wayne Connolly

label: Cortex - nationality: Australia

Track highlights: 1. "In Your Bright Ray" (4 / 5) - 2. "Cave In" - 3. "One Plus One" - 5. "Malibu 69" - 6. "Who Said Love Was Dead" - 8. "All Them Pretty Angels" (4 / 5) - 10. "Down Here" - 11. "Lamp by Lamp" - 12. "Do You See the Lights?" - 13. "The Parade of Shadows"

4th and final studio album by Grant McLennan following three years after the double album Horsebreaker Star (Dec. 1994) - in between these two albums he shortly returned to the duo-project Jack Snow together with The Church frontman Steve Kilbey and assisted by drummer Tim Powless (also The Church) and together they released the loose follow-up album Snow Job in '95 after which they shelved the project. Prior to the recordings of this album (Dec. '96), McLennan found his way back to performing with Robert Forster but plans about reforming their old band were still in the melting pot as Forster and Karin Baümler were about to become parents and McLennan was busy touring with his new album and writing new music for his new band, Far Out Corporation.

In Your Bright Ray is McLennan when he shines the brightest. The album contains 13 songs all by McLennan with a total running time right on 50 minutes, and it's recorded with Australian producer and multi-instrumentalist Wayne Connolly (from The Whipper Snappers - he also produced for Underground Lovers and Died Pretty) and drummer Tim Powless (from The Church and Jack Frost) together with guitarist Brett Myers (from Died Pretty) and bassist Maurice Argiro (from Underground Lovers).

Musically, this is probably McLennan's cleanest rock-album - with a sheer amount of jangle pop. Imho, this is easily McLennan's best solo album. Where the predecessor was his boldest singer / songwriter album this is something as unusual from this gifted bard as a lush and bright pop / rock album and primarily a collection of uptempo songs where McLennan shows his worth as one of Australia's best songwriters ever. It documents what Robert Forster meant, when he described Grant as ahead of him. Forster claimed that where he had to work hard to write his stuff and to come up with a good song - for Grant, it just came naturally - like opening a hose.

Highly recommended.

[ allmusic.com 4 / 5, Gaffa.dk 5 / 6 stars ]

Black Grape "Stupid Stupid Stupid" (1997)

Stupid Stupid Stupid

release date: Nov. 10, 1997

format: cd

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,28]

producer: Danny Saber

label: Radioactive Records - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Get Higher" (4 / 5) (official video) - 2. "Squeaky" - 3. "Marbles" - 4. "Dadi Waz a Badi" - 6. "Spotlight" - 8. "Money Back Guaranteed" - 9. "Lonely"

2nd studio album by Black Grape following a little more than two years after the fine debut It's Great When You're Straight...Yeah (Aug. 1995) is like that released on Radioactive. Since the debut, the line-up has changed with founding member Bez leaving due to dissatisfaction with his paid royalties, and then the band has been expanded to a septet. The band's rapper Paul 'Kermit' Leveridge was hospitalised with blood poisoning during a tour and was replaced by Carl 'Psycho' McCarthy, who ended up being a stable member after the tour and after Kermit was back. Also live guitarist and keyboardist Martin Slattery [he should later join Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros] became a stable member before begining the recordings for the album. And Danny Saber, who had played a major part in making the debut is also new band member. In '96 Black Grape and Joe Strummer stood behind the football support song "England's Irie" and Saber was producer on the joint project. The majority of the songs here are credited Ryder, Saber and 'Manmade' - a joint moniker for Kermit and Psycho. The album contains a cover of the '72 Frederick Knight soul tune"I've Been Lonely for so Long" (by Posie Knight and Jerry Weaver), here just titled "Lonely".

Stylewise, it's a rougher and more rock-oriented album than the predominantly electronic and alt. dance, which shaped the debut, but there's still room for funk and soul as well as the usual sampling bits and parts. The album was preceded by the single release of track #1 peaking at number #24 followed by the European only release of "Dadi Waz a Badi" and lastly "Marbles" was selected as the third single.

Stupid Stupid Stupid was met by mixed reviews. Stephen Erlewine of allmusic.com says: "...it plays like 'It's Great', part two, only without its predecessor's infectious beats, mammoth hooks, and surreal humor". I don't fully agree on the "without" 'cause the album is not without good beats, hooks and humour but there's unquestionably just less of it. And yes, it is like a part two, which in many ways tries too hard to follow-up on the success.

The succeeding tour didn't last long and ended up being cancelled as Shaun Ryder in Dec. '97, allegedly after a fight of band members simply dismissed the whole band resulting in massive cancellations of already scheduled shows, and Ryder also sacked the band manager, which in the end meant that Ryder via rule of court ended up in receivership for the next 12 years. The end of Black Grape was stressed in the Summer of '98 when Ryder stated he should no longer be recording under that name [only he would much later, though].

This is not great and not entirely bad either. "Get Higher" is a marvelous track, and the album is worth a spin or more but it's not up there alongside the debut.

[ allmusic.com, NME, Spin 3 / 5, Pitchfork 3,5 / 5 stars ]

The Refo:mation "Pharmakoi / Distance-Crunching Honchos..." (1997)

Pharmakoi / Distance-Crunching Honchos... [debut]

release date: 1997

format: digital

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,58]

producer: The Refo:mation

label: Phantom Records - nationality: Australia

Track highlights: 2. "Don't Move" - 5. "All See It Now" - 10. "Get Over It" - 11. "Take Your Place" - 14. "Stop"

1st and only album by The Refo:mation, whose full title is Pharmakoi / Distance-Crunching Honchos with Echo Units may almost be considered the tenth studio album by The Church, but there is a particular reason why the album isn't only credited the better-known band. After the critically acclaimed but financially disastrous Magician Among the Spirits (Aug. 1996) both Steve Kilbey and Marty Willson-Piper were preoccupied by their own solo careers as well as collaborative projects, and they remained physically separated as both Kilbey, Peter Koppes, and Tim Powles were in Australia, while Willson-Piper was living in Sweden busy saving recordings for the fifth album by All About Eve, which in '97 was released under the title of Seeing Stars, but he was also writing songs for several artists in '96 and therefore couldn't find time for Australia nor The Church, which is why Kilbey, Koppes, and Powles decided to release these new tracks under the project name of The Refo:mation.

Stylistically, the band has moved more into an electrified rock sphere, as a counterpart to the more experimental '96 album. Powles' technical skills as a sound engineer and mixer may be heard in the production, which contributes with a more dynamic expression. However, the album points in many directions, although, you could argue there's still a subtle balance, and despite the fact that this release doesn't fall directly into the back-catalog by The Church, there is no doubt that the group has found new paths with this album, which later will may found on the albums Hologram of Baal (1998) and After Everything Now This (2002) by The Church. And in this way, the album stands in many ways as a transitional album by The Church and it also explains why Kilbey include this album in the band's discography.

Steve & Russell P. Kilbey "Gilt Trip" (1997)

Gilt Trip [debut]

release date: May 9, 1997

format: digital (2005 reissue)

[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,18]

producer: Russell P. Kilbey

label: Karmic Hit - nationality: Australia

Track highlights: 1. "Gilt Trip" - 2. "The Onset" - 3. "Tragic Mandarin Love Story" - 4. "Eyes Smeared With the Ointment of Love" - 9. "Happy Endings"

1st studio album collaboration by brothers Steve & Russell P. Kilbey, originally released on Vicious Sloth Collectables, in 2005 reissued on Kilbey's own label Karmic Hit. The album consists exclusively of instrumental compositions composed by the brothers - composed together or alone. The two Kilbeys play all instruments, except on "Tragic Mandarin Love Story", which is the only uptempo composition to feature both violinist Linda Neil and drummer Tim Powles (of The Church).

Musically, it is a type of 'soundtrack' to a non-existent film. It's ambient and atmospheric with an almost organic tone, and some tracks are progressive minimalism, and in some ways the album ties to Steve Kilbey's second solo album Earthed (1987), which also reflects some of the same soundtrack quality.

The two brothers subsequently issued several releases and later founded the project Gilt Trip, but here they have released their first collaboration under their own names, which has its qualities.

Steve Kilbey "Narcosis +" (1997)

Narcosis +

release date: Feb. 1, 1997

format: digital (11 x File, FLAC) (reissue)

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,42]

producer: Steve Kilbey

label: self-release - nationality: Australia

Track highlights: 1. "Somna" - 2. "Limbo" - 6. "The Egyptian" - 7. "Midnite in America" - 8. "Linda Wong" - 9. "Double Exposure"

5th studio album or 'only' an ep re-issue with bonus tracks, or a compilation? The Narcosis EP was released Jan. '92 as a 5-track EP and was Kilbey's final release on Red Eye Records in Australia. In '97 the album was re-issued on Vicious Sloth Collectables under the title Narcosis +, consisting of nine tracks, and then in 2004 released as Narcosis + More with twelve tracks, and at some point [unknown year] it became a digital self-release [this one] again under the name Narcosis + with eleven tracks, but with three new songs compared to the '97 CD version. In all cases, the first five tracks are identical to the tracks from the original ep, however, with varying content [!]. The digital self-release has a total running time of 57 minutes.

The compositions are of experimental nature and fall relatively far from contemporary releases such as the solo album Remindlessness (Jul. 1990) and the three collaboration albums Charms & Blues (Sep. '90), Vast Halos (Sep. 1990), Jack Frost (Nov./Dec '90?) and Priest = Aura (Mar. '92) by The Church. Although the added extra tracks were probably composed later than the first five, the album is nevertheless a reasonably coherent volume. There is, however, a clearer electronic touch to the newer tracks, which in the end appear to be the most elaborate, but in terms of style they are quite a close extension of the other tracks. This is Kilbey all alone and as with his compositions they go in all directions but still maintain a distinct fingerprint, and Kilbey seems to have an inexhaustible well to dip into to come up with new tracks, which always contain quality and originality.

The fron cover is a detail of the original cd-cover of Kilbey with his and Karin Jansson's twin daughters, Elektra and Miranda.

[ bandcamp ]

Deftones "Around the Fur" (1997)

Around the Fur

release date: Oct. 28, 1997

format: digital

[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,06]

producer: Terry Date, Deftones

label: Maverick / Warner Bros. - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "My Own Summer (Shove It)" (4 / 5) - 6. "Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)"

2nd studio album from American band Deftones following the debut Adrenaline (1995). The band is a quartet consisting of Chino Moreno as lead vocalist, Stephen Carpenter on guitar, Chi Cheng on bass & backing vocals, and with Abe Cunningham on drums.

Stylistically, alt. metal is at the heavy end of the foundation, where you also find bands like System of a Down and Marilyn Manson. I only discovered Deftones with the song "My Own Summer (Shove It)" which was part of the original soundtrack to the first "The Matrix" movie from 1998 and I have to admit that along with track #6 those are the album's highlights, as these tracks contain a good amount of aggressiveness and at the same time also have a harmonic side, which the album's other compositions simply lack. Both Marilyn Manson - who is admittedly more of an industrial rock act - and System of a Down play on the opposites of beauty and ugliness - somewhat in the manner as Rammstein, but where Deftones, at least in the band's early phase lacked the counterplay to the raw, the dirty, and the brutal, and then alt. metal just isn't one of my favourite styles. The '95 debut and the follow-up to this one, White Pony (2000) have roughly the same shortcomings, while on later albums the band, starting with Deftones (2003), where the simple title indicates a change in style, but also Saturday Night Wrist (2006), Covers (2011) and Koi No Yokan (2012) reveal a soundscape where the band partially succeeds in bridging to other styles thus creating something other than a brutal wall of sound.

Not recommended.

Talk Talk "The Very Best of Talk Talk" (1997)

The Very Best of Talk Talk (compilation)
release date: Jan. 27, 1997
format: digital
[album rate: 4 / 5]
producer: Tim Friese-Greene
label: EMI - nationality: England, UK

Another best of compilation album by Talk Talk released by the band's former label EMI, much against the will of the band, and at a time when rumours suggest that Mark Hollis is making studio recordings to be released as a new studio album on Polydor.
Actually, this is basically bootleg material and perhaps shouldn't be purchased as the artist hardly will see a penny, but... now that it's here... the album is an even better compilation of Talk Talk material than the 12 track 1990 issue Natural History - The Very Best of Talk Talk - also on EMI. This revised issue contains 16 tracks of which 9 are identical to the ones on the 1990 album. How on earth they didn't include "Happiness Is Easy" on this must be a blunder. But then again: This is mere profit thinking. By having two almost identical best of albums on the same label, they have better chances in selling both. Sadly, Mark Hollis & Co. never stood behind the selection of songs to figure on any best of album, so this is all we have, except for the full album releases, which we naturally purchased, right!? The album is a fine collection, although, several songs are missing and the lack of chronological order also disturbs my feelings towards it. It's also with some regret to listen to an album that you know consists of songs that have been edited without the band's consent. A few fine B-sides have also found their way on this - securing both general interest and the interest from the fan base.

The Divine Comedy "A Short Album About Love" (1997)

A Short Album About Love
release date: Feb. 10, 1997
format: cd
[album rate: 4,5 / 5]
producer: *[Neil Hannon]?
label: Setanta Records - nationality: Northern Ireland, UK

Tracklist: 1. "In Pursuit of Happiness" (4 / 5) - 2. "Everybody Knows (Except You)" (4 / 5) - 3. "Someone" (4,5 / 5) (live in France) - 4. "If..." (5 / 5) (live) (live) - 5. "If I Were You (I'd Be Through With Me)" (5 / 5) - 6. "Timewatching" (4 / 5) - 7. "I'm All You Need"
*producer credits are absent

5th studio album by The Divine Comedy. This is the first album I ever heard with Neil Hannon and The Divine Comedy. I had read some reviews praising the album, so I searched the music, and was really blown away by it's classy beauty. It's still my favourite album by Hannon, and the only real downside to it is the short running time.
The album is enlisted in "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die".
[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5 stars ]

1997 Favourite releases: 1. Buena Vista Social Club Buena Vista Social Club - 2. The Chemical Brothers Dig Your Own Hole - 3. The Divine Comedy A Short Album About Love

Björk "Homogenic" (1997)

Homogenic
release date: Sep. 22, 1997
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,76]
producer: Björk and Mark Bell
label: Mother Records - nationality: Iceland

Track highlights: 1. "Hunter" - 2. "Jóga" (4,5 / 5) - 3. "Unravel" - 4. "Bachelorette" (live on Later) - 5. "All Neon Like" (4,5 / 5) - 6. "5 Years" - 10. "All Is Full of Love"

3rd studio album by Björk org. rel. by One Little Indian in the UK and Mother Records in the EU marks a change of style towards a more introvert an darker electronic sound, which is both simpler, in some places more orchestrated and yet more homogenic, which it really is.
I didn't acquire the album at the time of the release. In fact, I didn't until after 2010. In the late 90s I had tired of Björks singing voice - all her grunts, high-pitched sounds, her... vocal, and her sonic universe in general. In many years to follow I rated this album less than mediocre, which I sort of regret, as it's truly refreshing, daring and in many places truly beautiful. The album contains two absolutely great compositions by Björk on which she demonstrates her vocal range and sonic strengths.
Five singles were released from the album, tracks #2, #4, #1, #8 and #10, in that order. "Jóga" was the only to precede the album release, and it performed the best in Iceland where it topped the charts, just as the album did (as her second consecutive in her homeland), but it didn't go anywhere near top 10 in most other countries. "Bachelorette" was the biggest international single release from the album peaking at number #17 in France and at number #21 on the UK singles chart list. "All Is Full of Love" wasn't released as a single until Jun. '99, and it was presented with her most expensive music video so far. The album fared quite well peaking at number #2 in France, number #4 in the UK as well as making it to top 10 in a number of countries. It also peaked at number #28 on the Billboard 200 in the US making it her so far best-charting album here.
Recommended.
[ allmusic.com 5 / 5, NME, Spin 4,5 / 5, Rolling Stone, The Guardian 4 / 5 stars ]

Björk "Jóga" (1997) (single)

Jóga, cd single
release date: Sep. 15, 1997
format: cd
[single rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,66]
producer: Björk, Mark Bell
label: Mother Records - nationality: Iceland

Tracklist: 1. "Jóga (Howie B Main Mix)" - 2. "Sod Off" - 3. "Immature (Björk's Version)" - 4. "So Broken"

Single cd release from the forthcoming album Homogenic originally released by One Little Indian. Yes, "Jóga" is a strong and fine composition, and here it's in a slightly altered version, and with the 3 extra tracks (which are found on the Japanese album version of the album) it doesn't really contribute with anything new.

Mogwai "Mogwai Young Team" (1997)

Mogwai Young Team [debut]

release date: Oct. 21, 1997

format: digital (19 x File, FLAC Deluxe Edition)

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,72]

producer: Paul Savage (recorded by)

label: Chemikal Underground - nationality: Scotland, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Yes! I Am a Long Way From Home" - 2. "Like Herod" - 5. "Tracy" - 7. "With Portofolio" - 8. "R U Still in 2 It" - 10. "Mogwai Fear Satan" (official shortened video)

Studio album debut by Scottish post rock band Mogwai following the full-length compilation album Ten Rapid released 6 months earlier is recorded by Paul Savage (track #7 by Andy Miller) released on a small independent Scottish label. During the recording sessions for the album the band was expanded to a quintet by the inclusion of Brendan O'Hare (former drummer of Teenage Fanclub). The band is made up of Stuart Braithwaite on guitar, John Cummings on guitar, Dominic Aitchison on bass, Martin Bulloch on drums, and with new member Brendan O'Hare credited on piano and guitar. The album was originally released as double vinyl lp and 1-cd issues as the playing time exceeds 64 minutes. The standard issue comes with ten tracks and the single compositions vary in length from 01:34 to 16:20 minutes - with nearly all of the remaining tracks revealing likewise unconventional playing times (except #6 and #7 at 3:28 and 3:11 respectively). Shortly after the album release, new member O'Hare was dismissed from the band, who then continued as a quartet the following year.

Needless say, the music is with a certain dominance of guitar-sound in a band with three guitarists but that's by no means to say guitars take up 3/5 of the music. All but one track on the album are instrumentals - with lead vocalist Aidan Moffat of Arab Strap featuring on track #8. Being mostly instrumentals, the compositions are, however not without vocals. Several tracks are composed with speaking parts as a form of background noise, some of which are samples, and generally speaking, noise does amount for a central portion of both the single composition as well as the album as a whole. Tracks may start out gently, with few instruments playing softly at low key when it all explodes as a wall of noise rock before it then returns as sudden as it erupted - like an abrupt change of weather.

Mogwai Young Team is a strong debut from one of the most poignant bands of the post rock genre. This isn't just another band copying My Bloody Valentine, Sonic Youth, Slint, Talk Talk, The Cure or any other artists in shaping its own soundscape. They set a new set of standards within the alt. rock genre and show us that contemporary post rock is more than Sigur Rós and that playing post rock doesn't necessarily mean "more of the same". This debut album is already a modern classic. The band may have produced better albums since, but it's remarkable how original and how much of a whole this album really is. It's a certified grower.

Recommended.

[ bandcamp ]

[ allmusic.com, NME, PopMatters 4,5 / 5, Pitchfork 9,2 / 10 stars ]

Mogwai "Ten Rapid (Collected Recordings 1996–1997)" (1997)

Ten Rapid (Collected Recordings 1996–1997) (compilation)

release date: Apr. 17, 1997

format: digital

[album rate: 3,5 / 5]

producer: Andy Miller; Paul Savage

label: Rock Action Records - nationality: Scotland, UK

Compilation album by Scottish primarily instrumental post rock band Mogwai is the band's first full-length album and as the subtitle suggests it's a collection of singles and ep releases. Some of the tracks have been re-recorded for the album, whereas others are presented as they were recorded, and some of the early releases were give-away singles from live concerts. Mogwai was originally formed in Glasgow as a trio in '95 consisting of the guitarist Stuart Braithwaite and bassist Dominic Aitchison together with drummer Martin Bulloch. In '96 guitarist John Cummings also joined the band making it a quartet without a lead vocalist.

Musically, the band is influenced by post-punk gothic rock band The Cure, post hardcore American group Fugazi, noise rock American band Sonic Youth and shoegaze Irish band My Bloody Valentine. And then you could add elements from Slint and Pixies with some industrial rock influence, but basically, Mogwai sounds like none of the others in particular but have their own unique sound, and then they simply focus on instrumental music with a highly experimental and progressive structure. Some refer to the music as based on mathematical patterns, which by no means suffice but in a way it reveals the progressive, repetitive structure, which also shares patterns with 1990s electronic music.

On this, the band's first full-length album I think the most striking feature is the influence from both industrial rock and noise rock, where they explore the polarity of soft / silent and hard / abbrassive with abrupt changes.

[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5 stars ]

Kent "Isola" (1997)

Isola
release date: Nov. 12, 1997
format: cd (repress) / vinyl (2022 repress) (Ltd. edition)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,86]
producer: Zed (aka Zed Nagrano)
label: RCA Victor / Legacy - nationality: Sweden

Track highlights: 1. "Livräddaren" - 2. "Om du var här" (4 / 5) - 3. "Saker man ser" - 4. "Oprofessionell" (4 / 5) - 6. "Celsius" - 7. "Bianca" - 8. "Innan allting tar slut" (4 / 5) - 9. "Glider" - 10. "747" (4 / 5)

3rd studio album by Kent introduces Zed [Zed Nagrano] in the producer seat (as the first of three consecutive albums) and a new style. Zed also worked on the first to albums with Kent as he mixed both albums and on Verkligen, he also recorded the album with producer Nille Perned.
After having released the predecessor, the band was expanded with rhythm guitarist Harri Mänty.
Stylistically, it's obvious that the band has taken a new direction. The single tracks are simply much more sophisticated without being over-arranged, and when comparing with the first two albums, Isola basically sounds radically different as if made by another band.
If Verkligen brought the band its first national prize, Isola easily brought more than twice the amount of recognition. The album went #1 on the albums chart list, and Kent won four awards - two at the Swedish Grammis [Grammy Awards] winning for Best Album and Best Pop / Rock Group, and they were awarded a Rockbjörn [award held by Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet] for Best Album.
I have always thought of Isola as "the other twin" to Tillbaka till samtiden (2007), although there's a 10 year gap between the two, but the kinship has to do with the same dark atmosphere and a stronger focus on musical arrangements. Two tracks here are really stand-outs: "Om du var här" and "Innan allting tar slut". Both seems more in family with the best tracks on the successor Hagnesta Hill.
Somehow, the album never was a favourite Kent album at first. I really couldn't put a finger on it, as the production is better than ever before, and you may find the band in a much more homogeneous state compared to the first two albums. It ceased to slip my mind, I realised it being one of their better ones. At this point of their career it sticks out as their absolute best, and in retrospect, it's probably their album that has grown most on me. It's clearly Kent's most laid-back, or meditative album, and also their so far most introspective one.

The album was re-issued by RCA Victor in '98 with English versions of the songs.

Recommended.

EDIT 2022:

The vinyl edition is a limited edition pressed in 500 copies.

<  show lyrics >

~ ~ ~

"Om du var här"

"Tid… du är dig inte lik
Min knutna hand i fickan
Sömn… jag kräver ingen sömn
Jag vrider mig på nålar

Om du var här
Om du var här
Om jag var där
Om du var här
I dag, i går
Om du var här
Inuti & utanför
Om du var här
I dag, i går

Tid… allt ska bli som då
Jag nöjer mig med tystnad
Språk… jag behöver inget språk
med tiden på min sida

Om du var här
Om du var här
Om jag var där
Om du var här
I dag, i går
Om du var här
Inuti & utanför
Om du var här
I dag, i går igen

Tid… & all min energi
slösar jag på nålar…

Om du var här
Om du var här
Om jag var där
Om du var här
I dag, i går
Om du var här
Inuti & utanför
Om du var här
I dag, i går"

~ ~ ~

"Innan allting tar slut"

"Moderna tankar om varandra
och du liknar ingen annan
Antika löften som vi blandar
tills vi båda slutat andas
luften omkring…

Är du lycklig nu?
Är du lycklig nu?
Är du lycklig nu?

Har vi tid
innan allting tar slut?
Äntligen har jag hittat orden
& jag hittar dina händer
under bordet
Vi hinner bli något stort än
växa några meter
innan sommaren
blir oktober…

Är du lycklig nu?
Är du lycklig nu?
Är du lycklig nu?

Det ligger tomhylsor i parken
Våra fötter är en meter
över marken
Jag visste att
du skulle bli stark sen
Min hand i din hand
när kapporna
vänder efter vinden…

:Är du lycklig nu?
:Är du lycklig nu?
:Är du lycklig nu?"

~ ~ ~

Paul Young "Paul Young" (1997)

Paul Young
release date: May 1997
format: digital
[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,12]
producer: Greg Penny, Paul Young
label: East West Records - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Ball and Chain" (3,5 / 5) - 2. "I Wish You Love" - 4. "Vanish"

7th studio album by Paul Young shows a rather different side to his musical interest. This is a quiet and overall more acoustic-sounding album. It's held in a pop / rock territory of folk rather than his usual pop soul. There's hardly any horns but mostly strings and acoustic guitars, and some slide guitars almost making it country folk at times. I think, the album was generally met by positive reviews without putting Young anywhere near the top of popular music like his earliest albums. There's no hit singles nor strong soulful ballads, and it's mostly melancholic mature songs about lost love. It's nice and fine and perhaps an album that will grow in strength over time. The album topped at position #39 on the UK albums chart list.
On the release list, it seems like Paul Young retired from the spotlight after this, but he continued to play live music, either with the band, Los Pacaminos, or just touring and giving concerts from his back catalogue. His following solo album, Rock Swings – On the Wild Side of Swing [a covers album] was not to be released until 2006 after which he didn't release any new studio albums for another ten years.

Olesen-Olesen "Indenlands udenbys" (1997)

Indenlands udenbys [debut]
release date: Apr. 2, 1997
format: cd
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,78]
producer: Kim Hyttel
label: Exlibris - nationality: Denmark

Track highlights: 1. "Det er ikke en ørken" (4 / 5) - 2. "Sommerferie Zimmerroom" (4 / 5) - 3. "Jack Kerouac i Jylland" - 4. "Alting sker" (4 / 5) - 5. "På et køligt loft" (4 / 5) - 9. "På Svebølle Station"

Studio debut album by the Danish duo Olesen-Olesen consisting of the two brothers, eldest brother Peter (Hollerup) Olesen [born 1962] as vocalist and primary songwriter, and younger brother Henrik (Hollerup) Olesen [born 1965] on guitars, backing vocals, other instrumentation, and as primrary composer. The album is released on the small independent label Exlibris and produced by long-time producer Kim Hyttel, who was also engaged on the album Minor Sun (1996) - the final album by the Danish band, Greene, also featuring the brothers Olesen. The brothers have played together in various bands, most recently in the Danish indie pop and post-punk band Greene. This is their first album featuring songs only in Danish, and it also marks a considerable change of style. Even earlier, the two fronted the band Sort-Hvide Landskaber - a band playing primarily gothic rock and post-punk with a clear reference to Joy Division, and with Greene they continued in a stronger indie pop-shaped version of post-punk, mostly inspired by The Sound.
On Indenlands udenbys they have extended their stylistic universe to embrace folk rock, jangle pop, chamber pop, and indie pop within a singer / songwriter context driven by the lyrics of primarily Peter Olesen.
I recall when the album was released, and being a fan of Greene, I was not entirely convinced about the positive aspects to their new-found musical output, but as they stayed true to this formula on later albums, and I became accustomed to it, I do consider this album among my favourites of 1997. The style is not just copied from international artists, although, I find references to R.E.M., 10.000 Maniacs, Adrian Borland, Lloyd Cole, Tindersticks, Grant Lee Buffalo, American Music Club, and older folk rock artists like Bob Dylan, Lou Reed, and Leonard Cohen, but again: this is their own unique blend, which makes it more than just interesting. Furthermore, the album doesn't even seem dated but it has aged much like a good wine.

[ Gaffa.dk 3 / 6 stars ]

Cornershop "When I Was Born for the 7th Time" (1997)

When I Was Born for the 7th Time
release date: Sep. 8, 1997
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,72]
producer: Tjinder Singh
label: Wiiija Records - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Sleep on the Left Side" - 2. "Brimful of Asha" (4 / 5) (live on Later) - 3. "Butter the Soul" - 5. "We're in Yr Corner" (4 / 5) (live on Later) - 6. "Funky Days Are Back Again" - 10. "Good Shit" - 11. "Good to Be on the Road Back Home" - 13. "Candyman" - 15. "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)"

3rd studio album by Cornershop released two years after Woman's Gotta Have It (Oct. 1995) is a move towards mainstream pop / rock with more scratching, sampling and over-dubs. The production is made by Tjinder Singh with assistance of Dan the Automator (aka hip hop producer Daniel M. Nakamura) and 'Daddy Rappaport'.
This was the first album I bought with the band shortly after attending a concert with Tindersticks having Cornershop as warm-up act. The album rocketed the band up on international album charts. The hit-single "A Brimful of Asha" is fine - tiresome in the long run, though - it was, however, the song "We're in Yr Corner" that completely blew me away at the concert. It's great on the album, but the live version included earthquake drum & bass backing, which was like... nothing I've ever heard before or since then. Almost all tracks are once again credited to front man Tjinder Singh. The album is enlisted in "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die".
[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5, Rolling Stone, Select 4 / 5 stars ]

alt. cover (North American
issue on Luaka Bop)

Lovebites "Nothing but Joy" (1997)

Nothing but Joy [debut]

release date: Jan. 1997

format: cd (MRCD 3327)

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,32]

producer: Lovebites

label: Mega Records - nationality: Denmark

Track highlights: 1. "Here Comes My Love" - 2. "Travelling" (4 / 5) - 3. "Love Swims By" - 4. "Better New World" - 7. "Hey, Look Around" - 9. "Promised Land"

Studio album debut by Danish indie pop band Lovebites consisting of Danish-Norwegian lead vocalist Solveig Sandnes, vocalist Sigrún Gudbrandsdóttir, acoustic guitarist Karina FossFenn, bassist Andrew FossFenn, lead guitarist Henrik Olesen (ex-Greene-guitarist and also a member of Olesen-Olesen), and drummer Niclas Tange (ex-Die Kapelle, and ex-The Poets). Initially, the two friends Karina Foss and Kristina Søndergaard teamed up to form the duo Purr after which they made contact with British-born Andrew Fenn (from Excess Bleeding Heart) - Foss and Fenn became a couple and took the surname FossFenn, they then continued as Purr with changing line-ups, Søndergaard left and they continued playing some time with Henrik Olesen (who was still engaged with Greene) on board. Around '95 they expanded with Sandnes and they included Tange to sit in as drummer for a few concerts, and when they signed with Mega in early '96 to release a debut album, he became a permanent member, which settled the current line-up and they changed their name to Lovebites.

Lovebites plays melodic indie pop - perhaps with a stress on pop and with some obvious bonds to British artists like House of Love, Echobelly, Lush, Swedish band The Cardigans, and American names like Mazzy Star, Throwing Muses, and Belly - and in that regard the sound and style may not reflect strong original tones, but still, it works out quite nicely. And especially Solveig Sandnes appears as the band's strongest asset with a strong and lively vocal with a colourful original tone giving great hopes for upcoming releases. Alas, the album would prove to be the only with Sandnes on lead vocal out of a total of three albums by Lovebites.

"Travelling", released as a promo-single in Oct. '96, is the strongest track on an uneven but promising debut. The band was already seen as the next big thing - the album was met by fine national reviews and then as the band was about to sign with a British label for a follow-up, Sandnes decided to leave to pursue a career as solo artist.

Blondie "The Essential Collection" (1997)

The Essential Collection (compilation)
release date: 1997
format: digital
[album rate: 3 / 5]
producer: various
label: EMI - nationality: USA

14 track best of compilation by Blondie. The album is identical to two other best of albums: Denis, a Dutch release issued in 1996 by Disky Records, and the 2006 album The Blondie Collection released by EMI. It's really hard to find one fine best of album with Blondie, and it doesn't help much that a vast number of so-called best of Blondie albums have been issued. Most of these releases have 4-5 great tracks and a number of misplaced not-best-of songs, and then always miss several great tracks as well - or so it seems. This is not better or worse than most other compilations by Blondie. However, here I miss great songs like "In the Sun", "Fan Mail", "I Didn't Have the Nerve to Say No", "Heart of Glass", "Dreaming", and "Atomic", which sort of tells what kind of release it really is, or: not. The album comes with two different front covers, and: it's really NOT essential.
[ allmusic.com 2 / 5 stars ]

<  show alternate cover >

    

alternative
Australian cover

alt. album 
"Denis", 1996 
(same track listing)