The Cure "The Head On The Door" (1985)

FIXH 11

The Head on the Door
release date: Aug. 13, 1985
format: vinyl (FIXH 11) / digital
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,86]
producer: Robert Smith, David M. Allen
label: Fiction Records - nationality: England, UK

Tracklist: A) 1. "In Between Days" (4,5 / 5) - 2. "Kyoto Song" (3 / 5) - 3. "The Blood" - 4. "Six Different Ways" - 5. "Push" (4 / 5) - - B) 1. "The Baby Screams" - 2. "Close to Me" (4 / 5) - 3. "A Night Like This" - 4. "Screw" (1,5 / 5) - 5. "Sinking"

6th studio album by The Cure signals a new start for the band after their move away from dark post-punk and gothic rock, as this is really neither despite its often labelled as such. It's hard to categorise but neo-psychedelia and alt. rock are more suitable styles. Since the previous album The Top (May 1984), which nearly showed us a one-man band, The Cure is now a quintet consisting of songwriter Robert Smith on guitars and lead vocal, Laurence Tolhurst on keyboards, and the new members Porl Thompson on guitars and keyboards, Boris Williams on drums and percussion, and a much welcomed return of bassist Simon Gallup.
The album has a highly original sound, dominated by Smith's characteristic voice and flanger-distorted guitar even though it's a band with plenty of keyboards. I recall the summer of '85 when the single "In Between Days" was played on national radio all the time. It was mostly great to see the band become massively popular with a distinct sound, but at the same time a bit sad to witness the progression from cult to mainstream. I really enjoyed this album at the time and many saw this as the rebirth of a band. Before this, The Cure had mostly been a cult band for the few, but it now embraces a whole new and much broader audience. My favourite track then was "Push" with Smith's soaring guitar, but despite the album was an immediate favourite, I also tired soon of the new incarnation of The Cure.
[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5, Blender, Rolling Stone Album Guide 4 / 5 stars ]

Ella Fitzgerald "The Best of the Song Books" (1993)

The Best of the Song Books (compilation)

release date: 1993
format: digital
[album rate: 3,5 / 5]
producer: various
label: Verve Records - nationality: USA

A compilation album with Ella Fitzgerald released on Verve Records. This selection of 16 tracks is taken from The Complete Ella Fitzgerald Song Books, a 16-CD box set from 1993. All recordings were remastered from the original LP sources. Although, far from sufficient this is another fine primarily vocal jazz collection.

Jean Michel Jarre "Waiting for Cousteau" (1990)

Waiting for Cousteau
release date: Jun. 11, 1990
format: digital
[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,22]
producer: Jean Michel Jarre
label: Polydor / Disques Dreyfus - nationality: France

Track highlights: 4. "Waiting for Cousteau"

10th studio album by 'Jean Michel' Jarre released after his most recent album Revolutions (1988) is a somewhat unusual album from Jarre. It's not just music of his ordinary progressive, synthpop with complex compositions but for the most part builds on simple instrumental harmonies and chorus-lines - at least when it comes to 3/4 of the album's tracks.
Frankly, I find the first three tracks more than just boring with the first "Calypso" as a near disastrously naive and tedious composition, but the fourth and final (title) track, with its playing time at almost 47 mins [!], is the album's true gem. It's a slow progressive ambient and new age composition, where Jarre dwells at small changes of sound. I often come to think of Oldfield's "Tubular Bells" upon listening to this track as it opens a simplistic tone and through various loops extends itself like an organic wall or pond of simple yet rather complex music, but again: a rather unconventional composition for Jarre. However, this final track saves the whole album.
[ allmusic.com hands it 4,5 / 5 stars ]

Dire Straits "Extendedanc'EP'lay" (1982) (ep)

Extendedanc'EP'lay, 12'' ep
release date: Jan. 10, 1983
format: vinyl (6400 766)
[single rate: 3 / 5] [3,08]
producer: Mark Knopfler
label: Vertigo Records - nationality: England, UK

Tracklist: A) 1. "Twisting by the Pool" (4 / 5) - 2. "Badges, Posters, Stickers, T-Shirts" (2,5 / 5) - - B) 1. "Two Young Lovers" (2,5 / 5) - 2. "If I Had You" (3 / 5)

4-track ep by Dire Straits. The ep is also referred to as the Twisting by the Pool ep, as it was also released as a 7'' single with the first track as title. After releasing the Love Over Gold album, drummer Pick Withers left the band, and this ep features his replacement, Terry Williams. The ep signals a return to a more simple rock & roll inspired pop / rock sound where the new progressive element is absent. Track 1 was a major singles hit, but aside from that the ep doesn't contain memorable material.
[ allmusic.com 3,5 / 5 stars ]

Siouxsie and the Banshees "Superstition" (1991)

Superstition

release date: Jun. 10, 1991

format: cd

[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,84]

producer: Stephen Hague

label: Polydor Records - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Kiss Them for Me" (5 / 5) - 2. "Fear (Of the Unknown)" (remix) - 3. "Cry" - 4. "Drifter" - 5. "Little Sister" - 6. "Shadowtime" (4 / 5) - 9. "Silver Waterfalls" - 11. "The Ghost in You"

10th studio album by Siouxsie & The Banshees (as the band is stylised here) is released nearly three full years after Peepshow (Sep. 1988) and that's with a new experienced producer - something the band otherwise has been a bit reluctant about, since Mike Hedges and the band have been close collaborators on this job since '83 [Tinderbox from '86 is exclusively produced by the band]. Hague has established his name over several years in the '80s as a successful producer for especially British synthpop artists such as Pet Shop Boys, Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark, New Order, Erasure, and was most recently as co-producer on Robbie Robertson's Storyville-album (1991) (recorded earlier this year, but released on a later occasion). Mike Hedges and the band was especially known for a special darkwave tone with ties to post-punk, and here it's obvious that the band with Hague as producer has taken the full step into another stylistic universe.

Stylistically, you won't find many similarities with Pet Shop Boys, New Order, or any other of the aforementioned artists on Superstition, but the album clearly appears as a purer art pop and especially as an alt. dance outing. The band's line-up for once remains the quintet consisting of Siouxsie Sioux, Steven Severin, Budgie, Martin McCarrick, and Jon Klein as the one we met three years earlier, although, the hiatus in between album releases has given the band members the opportunity to work on other projects. After their last live tour, Steven Severin made the soundtrack Visions of Ecstacy (1989) (for a short film), Siouxsie and Budgie released their critically acclaimed second album as The Creatures, Boomerang (1989), an album they also found time to promote via a following tour, and in May '91 the two married. Martin McCarrick featured on both releases and also found time to resume his work as studio musician on various albums, including Marc Almond's Jacques (1989), This Mortail Coil's final album Blood (1991). Jon Klein was occupied as film director on "Doctor Jeep" (1990), a promotional video for Sisters of Mercy, and together with Barry Andrews (of XTC / Shriekback), Matthew Seligman, and Kevin Wilkinson (of Waterboys), he formed the project, Illuminati.

Much as usual, the new album garnered positive reviews, although Allmusic, among others, weren't exactly enthusiastic, and the album marked a so far worst performance with a 25th position on the national charts. Although, the first single "Kiss Them for Me" may only have peaked at number #32 nationally, it simply topped the US Alternative Airplay chart, just as "Peek-a-boo" from Peepshow had done - and the song also reached an 8th place on the Dance Club Songs list - also in the US.

The two songs "Shadowtime" and "Fear (Of the Unknown)" were respectively chosen as the second and third singles from the album without achieving notable positions on a national scene, but they also performed better than fine on the other side of the Atlantic with positions as no. #13 and #12 on the Alternative Airplay list - so the Americans had caught sight and ears of the band (Superstition, ranked at no. #65, is the highest ranked album from the band on the Billboard 200).

Imho, the album may not be one of the band's absolute best, but they've made so many really good albums that less will do, and it's still the band's best since Hyaena (1984). Again, The Banshees deserve great credit for being highly innovative and at the same time anchored in an unmistakable tone, which is theirs and their only.

Highly recommended.

[ 👎allmusic.com 3 / 5, Q Magazine, Select 4 / 5 stars ]

Veto "I Will Not Listen" (2005)

I Will Not Listen, ep
release date: Sep. 10, 2005
format: cd
[album rate: 3 / 5] [2,90]
producer: Veto
label: Tabu Records / Playground - nationality: Denmark

Track highlights: 1. "You Are a Knife" - 3. "Cannibal" - 5. "Reset"

Studio debut release by Veto is a self-produced 5-track ep. The style is indie rock and indietronica combined. Some of the tracks sound like inspired by Bloc Party or Radiohead and / or mostly indie rock and post punk revival bands, thus lacking some originality.

Bryan Ferry "In Your Mind" (1977)

In Your Mind

release date: Feb. 1977

format: vinyl / cd (2007 reissue)

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

producer: Bryan Ferry, Steve Nye

label: E.G. - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. This Is Tomorrow" - 5. "Tokyo Joe" - 7. "Rock of Ages"

4th solo album by Bryan Ferry and his first of oroginal material since the disbandment of Roxy Music in 1976 after which he released the solo album Let's Stick Together (Sep. 1976).

Peace, Love & Pitbulls "Peace, Love and Pitbulls" (1992)

Peace, Love and Pitbulls [debut]
release date: 1992
format: digital
[album rate: 2,5 / 5] [2,38]
producer: Thåström and Cybersank (aka Sanken Sandqvist)
label: MVG Records - nationality: The Netherlands / Sweden

Track highlights: 1. "(I'm The) Radio King-Kong" - 2. "Do the Monkey (Hitch-Hike to Mars)"

Studio album debut by Swedish/Dutch band Peace, Love & Pitbulls - a project-band formed by Joakim Thåström on lead vocals and sampling, Peter Lööf on rap and backing vocals, Rikard Sporrong on guitar and with Niklas Hellberg on sampling and programming. The album is released by the MNW sublabel MVG Records, and the main album producers are Thåstróm and Cybersank, but also band member Niklas Hellberg and The Pittbulls are credited for producing on three of the album's twelve tracks. Both band and album was received as a Thåström project-band, although, it officially was a band formed in Amsterdam in '92.
Musically, the band primarily engages in industrial metal, and the music is allegedly inspired by Einstürzende Neubauten and Swedish metal band Entombed.
I recall, coming across the album in the early 90s and thinking of it as a long shot from what I associated with Thåström. He had taken on a much more aggressive alt. rock and industrial rock style on his first two solo albums, but this is a quite remarkable turn in a new direction.
I never liked this much, but the band is said to have inspired Marilyn Manson in shaping their initial style. To me, this only serves to document the stylistic changes Thåström went through after having left Imperiet behind and for the first time in two decades was free to go in whatever musical direction he wanted, and with the move to Amsterdam, he obviously wanted to make a clean start.
Not recommended.

Chumbawamba "Anarchy" (1994)

Anarchy
release date: 1994
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,64]
producer: Chumbawamba, Neil Ferguson
label: One Little Indian - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Give the Anarchist a Cigarette" - 2. "Timebomb" - 6. "Love Me" - 7. "Georgina" - 10. "This Year's Thing" - 11. "Mouthful of Shit" (live) - 12. "Enough Is Enough"
[ full album ]

6th studio album by Chumbawamba following Shhh (1992) is the band's first album not to be released on its own label Agit Prop. The band continues its change of style far from their early stage with protest songs of folk and (anarcho) punk rock to a more dance-minded style, as introduced on the fourth album Slap! (1990).
Here the subjects and themes are homophobia, strikes, fascism, music, and movies. I recall having heard the album back in the mid-90s and rejected it as... uninteresting. A decade later I rediscovered the album and now found it quite the contrary. Time changes everything. One day I may even like death-metal... [Hope not!] Sometimes Chumbawamba sounds like The Stranglers, sometimes like Carter USM, or The Beautiful South, or even their American "brothers" in They Might Be Giants, and then at other times it's more like pure Monty Python. Anyway, I like their blend of electronic, cheesy vocal harmonies as played in folk pop or sophisti-pop, and then sometimes they turn up the satire or the energy, which makes it a huge mix of influences and yet somehow they succeed in keeping everything nicely together.
The album generally received fair to positive reviews and it sold better than any previous albums by the band. The singles Timebomb and Enough Is Enough both charted in top-100 on the singles charts in the UK, and the album peaked at #29 on the national albums list making this a bit of a commercial success.
This is clearly the band's so far, and perhaps best ever studio album, imho.
[ allmusic.com 3 / 5 stars ]

Tracey Thorn "Out of the Woods" (2007)

Out of the Woods
release date: Mar. 5, 2007
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,54]
producer: Ewan Pearson
label: Virgin Records - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Here It Comes Again" - 2. "A-Z" - 3. "It's All True" - 5. "Hands Up to the Ceiling" - 9. "Grand Canyon" - 10. "By Piccadilly Station I Sat Down and Wept" - 11. "Raise the Roof"

2nd solo album by Tracey Thorn released after Everything but the Girl has been put on a longtime halt. Ewan Pearson has produced 6 of 11 tracks, Tom Gandey two songs, and Charles Webster, Martin Wheeler and Alex Santos are all credited for producing one track each. It's been more than 7 years since her last album, Temperamental from 1999 with future husband Ben Watt [Thorn and Watt were married in 2008]. In the meantime Thorn has given birth to and helped raising three children, and this is the long-awaited comeback.
Musically, Thorn combines alt. dance and downtempo associated with EBTG on their last three albums of the late 90s with a softer tone of typical synthpop sound with traces of chamber pop. The album is far from her solo debut, A Distant Shore from 1982, and it would have been a surprising attempt to follow that in style. Out of the Woods is of course a delicate sonic experience, and I guess the biggest single characteristic about the album is its diversity. Some songs are strong synthpop compositions, others are club-like downtempo songs that tastes of Temperamental (1999) and Walking Wounded (1996) and then others have a distinct sophisti-pop quality that takes us further back down the road with Everything but the Girl. On top of it all, Thorn binds it all together with her melancholic alto vocal, which hasn't dated one bit. Cleverly, she narrates about familiar tales that circle around love and relationships. In fact, the album just takes off as if she hadn't been out - or: in the woods.
The album is a pleasant return from one of England's finest voices of popular music and a very recommendable album.
[ allmusic.com, The Guardian 4 / 5 stars ]

The Beautiful South "0898 Beautiful South" (1992)

0898 Beautiful South
release date: Mar. 1992
format: vinyl / cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,48]
producer: Jon Kelly, The Beautiful South
label: Go! Discs - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Old Red Eyes Is Back" (acoustic live version) - 2. "We Are Each Other" (3,5 / 5) (live) - 3. "The Rocking Chair" - 4. "We'll Deal With You Later" - 6. "36D" (3,5 / 5) - 9. "I'm Your No.1 Fan" - 11. "You Play Glockenspiel, I'll Play Drums"

3rd studio album by The Beautiful South with a new producer, which basically is the best thing about the album. The band line-up as a sextet remain the same as on the previous album, but it's the last to feature Briana Corrigan, who left the band in '92 to pursue a solo career. This was the first album I bought with the band, and I always found it rather good, but also a bit on the dull side, which is hard to explain. Maybe it just stays a bit too much on the same track, and then, despite several good compositions, the best being "We Are Each Other", I don't find that it contains any really great tracks. Mind you, this is, however, by no means a mediocre or irrelevant album.
[ allmusic.com 3 / 5 stars ]

Lou Reed "New York" (1989)

New York
release date: Jan. 6, 1989
format: digital
[album rate: 4 / 5] [4,08]
producer: Lou Reed, Fred Maher
label: Sire Records - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "Romeo Had Juliette" (4 / 5) - 3. "Dirty Blvd." (4,5 / 5) (live) - 5. "There Is No Time" - 6. "Last Great American Whale" (4 / 5) - 10. "Hold On" (4 / 5) - 11. "Good Evening Mr. Waldheim" - 13. "Strawman"

15th studio album by Lou Reed released after an unusual long time since his last studio album. Reed wasn't an artist with huge sales numbers but this one in particular is his perhaps most succesful commercial album release ever. Transformer also sold platinum but that album has had several heydays since its release in '72, and has made its way to the top via retrospective reviews ovr many years, whereas New York simply was an immediate success. Somehow, it shook off critics, or just came at the right time and place - somewhat unexpected after the poor Mistrial (1986), which didn't live up to his series of strong albums in the 80s; however, this also stands as one of his best ever albums. Not only is it a fine melodic balanced pop / rock album with strong rock roots at the bottom of all compositions, it's also a marvellous homogeneous and near conceptual album with stories about the city of his life. It's also one of only a few Lou Reed albums where you actually may think of him as an actual band leader - there's such a fine support to back up each and every song. The cover could suggest that it's a band, until you notice that it's five versions of himself.
Reed has made many fine albums in his long solo career but few are of this coherent quality from start to finish. This is his best album since 1972 and imho, it's his second best album ever.
Highly recommended.
[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5, Chicago Tribune 4 / 4, Rolling Stone 4 / 5 stars ]

Gregory Porter "Be Good" (2012)

Be Good
release date: Feb. 14, 2012
format: digital (12 x File, FLAC)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,66]
producer: Brian Bacchus
label: Motéma Music - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 2. "Be Good (Lion's Song)" (4 / 5) - 3. "On My Way to Harlem" (4 / 5) - 4. "Real Good Hands" - 8. "Mother's Song" - 9. "Our Love"

2nd studio album by Gregory Porter is his second and final album to be released on independent label Motéma Music and with this, he continues the wide jazz conglomerate established on the debut.
For this, Porter has collected a handful of session musicians of which both bassist Aaron James, pianist Chip Crawford, drummer Emanuel Harold, alto saxophonist Yosuke Sato and associate producer and horns arranger Kamau Kenyatta (who produced the debut and who also plays alto sax on track #1) play alongside with trumpeter Keyon Harrold and tenor sax player Tivon Pennicott and sort of establish the musical backbone to Porter's arrangements, just as they will on later albums. And this strong unity really proves its worth on the difficult sophomore release that only shows us a stronger and more original sounding Gregory Porter albeit he still gets into the many corners of jazz. The result is still a more focused album where he maturely keeps everything together - not just by his strong and playful arrangements but also thanks to his smooth and dynamic singing voice.
Where the debut lacked the strong individual compositions, Be Good brings us several songs of highest quality and although a shortage of sold albums it may just have been the reason why Blue Note Records chose to present Porter a record deal after this very fine album.
[ allmusic.com 3,5 / 5, The Guardian 4 / 5 stars ]

The Cardigans "Life" (1995)

Life
release date: Mar. 1, 1995
format: digital
[album rate: 4 / 5] [4,08]
producer: Tore Johansson
label: Stockholm Records - nationality: Sweden

Tracklist: 1. "Carnival" (4 / 5) (live) - 2. "Gordon's Gardenparty" - 3. "Daddy's Car" (live) - 4. "Pikebubbles" - 5. "Tomorrow" - 6. "Beautiful One" - 7. "Travelling With Charley" - 8. "Fine" - 9. "Sunday Circus Song" - 10. "Hey! Get Out of My Way" - 11. "Closing Time"

2nd studio album by The Cardigans. This release annoyed me a bit for many years because it included several tracks from the debut album. But the thing is, it comes in at least three versions with the same cover and released almost at the same time. Only recently, I managed to get hold of the original Swedish album edition, which is without any tracks from the debut, which makes sense. The international (UK, French, Canadian) release on the other hand has five tracks from Emmerdale, and that was unfortunately the most common release very soon outside Sweden. Another version was released in the US with a different track list but also featuring five tracks from the debut. Anyway, the best tracks on the original Swedish release are "Carnival", "Daddy's Car", "Pikebubbles" (omitted on the international editions), and "Tomorrow".
[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5, Rolling Stone 4 / 5 stars ]

1995 Favourite releases: 1. Alanis Morissette Jagged Little Pill - 2. The Cardigans Life - 3. The Smashing Pumpkins Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness

The Stranglers "Feline" (1983)

Feline
release date: Jan. 14, 1983
format: vinyl (embossed cover) / cd (2001 remaster)
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,86]
producer: The Stranglers, Steve Churchyard
label: Epic Records - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: A) 1. "Midnight Summer Dream" (4 / 5) (single version) - 2. "It’s a Small World" - 3. "Ships That Pass in the Night" - 4. "European Female" (4,5 / 5) - - B) 1. "Let's Tango in Paris" - 2. "Paradise" - 3. "All Roads Lead to Rome"

7th studio album by The Stranglers is the band's first album on a major label is the continued blend of new wave and synthpop that the band explored on La folie (1981). By standards of 1982 / 83, the sound-production is in a league of better releases of the early '80s. The band has more obviously put away the experimental compositions and instead issued a collection of smooth-sounding new wave with a certain twist of art rock - of its very own kind. Not unlike their best charting single "Golden Brown" from La folie, several tracks are moulded with similar harmony-based choruses and a blend of acoustic and electronic instrumentation. Most notably, there's a distinct use of electronic drums and synthesizers.
I recall listening to "Midnight Summer Dream" and "European Female" on a national radio rock programme presenting new music in early '83 and hardly believing that these new songs was made by The Stranglers, who I still thought of as an original punk-rock band. It took me awhile to get accustomed to the this synthpop incarnation, but I also loved these dream-like fascinating compositions.
The album fared quite well - better than its predecessor - peaking at number #4 on the UK albums chart list and the first of three singles, "European Female" made it to number #9 on the singles chart list. Also tracks #A1 and #B2 were selected for single releases without being close to top-10 charts. The band showed its ever-present lust / need to do the unexpected by producing a B-side track to "Midnight Summer Dream" with the full title: "(The Strange Circumstances Which Lead To) Vladimir & Olga (Requesting Rehabilitation in a Siberian Health Resort as a Result of Stress in Furthering the People's Policies)". This track is included on the 2001 remaster, which feature 6 bonus tracks - amongst these are also the composition that was released with first UK issue of the original vinyl album as a one-sided 7'' bonus single titled "Aural Sculpture Manifesto".

Sugar "Copper Blue" (1992)

Copper Blue [debut]
release date: Sep. 4, 1992
format: cd
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,88]
producer: Bob Mould, Lou Giordano
label: Rykodisc / Creation - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "The Act We Act" (4 / 5) - 2. "A Good Idea" (4 / 5) - 3. "Changes" - 4. "Helpless" - 5. "Hoover Dam" - 7. "If I Can't Change Your Mind" (5 / 5) (video) (live on WFUV) - 9. "Slick" - 10. "Man on the Moon"

Studio debut album by the Bob Mould-led project Sugar, in early '92. In a sense it's kind of hard to musically pin down strong differences from e.g. Mould's second album Black Sheets of Rain (1990), which is very much to say the music he already made, but for the short period of time Sugar came to exist, the style was always alt. rock, indie pop, power pop with much less focus on the singer / songwriter and bond to folk rock elements you may attribute Mould's previous solo releases. All ten tracks is written between 1990-92 by Mould himself. Only two full albums and one ep were released under the name of Sugar; hence the second album, also known as F.U.E.L (1994), signals the end of this short-lived trio, but that only meant a new start for front figure Bob Mould.

Copper Blue is Mould's best-selling album to date and it generally harvested positive reviews. The album topped the music magazine NME's list "Album of the Year", and it's the second of just two featuring Bob Mould (Warehouse: Songs and Stories by Hüsker Dü being the first) to be enlisted in "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die".

Personally, I find it a difficult but not impossible choice to pick the best of the two full-length Sugar albums, as they both have individual strengths, but I simply prefer the '94 album. This is the first by Sugar, and it comes out as something quite fresh to demonstrate the bond between Hüsker Dü / Bob Mould and the whole grunge rock movement. On Candy Apple Grey (1986) and Warehouse: Songs and Stories Mould and Grant Hart's former band paved the way for a whole string of new American bands like Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Mudhoney and many other, who all became bigger names but owns everything to a band named Hüsker Dü.

Copper Blue is nicely produced, it's strict and it contains a bunch of strong melodic rock songs fueled by Mould's enigmatic vocal and distorted guitar.

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

The Go-Betweens "Before Hollywood" (1983)

Before Hollywood
release date: May 1983
format: 2 cd (2002 remaster)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,62]
producer: John Brand
label: EMI - nationality: Australia

Track highlights: 2. "Two Step, Step Out" - 3. "Before Hollywood" - 5. "Ask" - 6. "Cattle and Cane" (4,5 / 5) - 8. "As Long as That" - 9. "On My Block" - 10. "That Way"

2nd studio album by Australian jangle pop band The Go-Betweens is the band's first and only after signing with Rough Trade Records (who originally released the album) - here in a 2002 remastered and enhanced edition issued as a 2-disc album with eight bonus tracks and the video for track #6. The Go-Betweens remains the same trio as on the debut Send Me a Lullaby (1982) and credited as shown on the album back cover: Lindy Morrison on drums & backing vocals, Grant McLennan on bass, guitars & vocals, and with Robert Forster on lead and rhythm guitar & vocals. As additional personnel Bernard Clarke is credited for organ and piano. All music is credited Forster / McLennan with Forster as songwriter on four songs (tracks #3, #5, #7 and #9), McLennan as songwriter on five (tracks #1, #2, #4, #6 and #10), and with both as songwriters of track #8. As Rough Trade found strong interest in the band with their debut, the record label offered them a record deal and the three relocated to Britain. Unfortunately, Rough Trade soon lost its interest for the band as their new-found darlings of The Smiths sky-rocketed to stardom, and the The Go-Betweens soon stood without a record deal - again.

Before Hollywood was the first album I ever listened to by the band. "Cattle and Cane" was played on the national radio and I really loved that song, so I was happy to find the album at the local library but didn't appreciate the whole album all that much.

Stylewise, the band was labelled as new wave but they have become more natural exponents of indie pop / jangle pop, and they were compared to Television and Talking Heads, although, it's evident that they shared more common traits with Aztec Camera and Josef K.

In retrospect, I find it better than I did back then, and I also notice how several songs build on some of the same elements as their early famous tune, which led me to their music catalogue. "Cattle and Cane" was issued as a single prior to the album release and basically coincided with their album debut release outside Australia: however, upon hearing the album I initially rejected the majority of the songs. "Cattle and Cane" peaked as number #4 on the UK independent charts and it also figures on the untitled Swedish Rough Trade / MNW compilation album from '83.

Before Hollywood is a much stronger and originally shaped album than their debut, and with this they already establish a unique sound and style rooted in the traditions of singer / songwriter material, which is something that would be further elaborated on with the following albums to come.

[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5, NME, Spin 4 / 5, Rolling Stone, Select 3 / 5 stars ]

The Cardigans "Emmerdale" (1994)

Emmerdale [debut]
release date: Feb. 18, 1994
format: cd
[album rate: 4 / 5] [4,02]
producer: Tore Johansson
label: Stockholm Records - nationality: Sweden

Tracklist: 1. "Sick & Tired" (4 / 5) (live on MTV) - 2. "Black Letter Day" - 3. "In the Afternoon" - 4. "Over the Water" - 5. "After All..." - 6. "Cloudy Sky" - 7. "Our Space" - 8. "Rise & Shine" (5 / 5) - 9. "Celia Inside" - 10. "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" - 11. "Seems Hard" - 12. "Last Song"

Studio album debut by The Cardigans originally released in Sweden on Trampolene Records - the first in a long series of albums produced by Tore Johansson - is a new introduction to great modern, classic pop music with bonds to baroque pop of the late '60s.
Aside from great original songs like "Sick & Tired", "In the Afternoon", "Over the Water", "After All...", "Cloudy Sky", and the best track "Rise & Shine", it also contains a very original and fine cover version of the Black Sabbath classic "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath".
I may not have entirely loved the album from day one. I remember, listening to it thinking it was quite all right, a bit too innocently naïve, I mean, my favourites at the time was music in the alt. rock genre like Sugar, Bob Mould, Psyched Up Janis, R.E.M. and Brittish rave electronica phenonomen, The Prodigy, so yes, this was somewhat slower and... not really rock or electrified enough BUT I still liked it. A few years later, I realised that loved it. This is one of their absolute best alongside the two following albums. It's also their defining moment when they played lounge pop, by some referred to as 'blue-eyed' pop or twee-pop, but with a certain jazz feel to it. Later on it became too britpop and pop / rock-inspired loosing the band's unique style and sound, imho.
But this is pure gold.

The Cardigans

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The Cardigans: is a Swedish band formed in Jönköping, Sweden, 1992. Members: Peter Svensson (aka Anders Peter Svensson, guitar), Magnus Sveningsson (aka Magnus Johan Sveningsson, bass), Bengt Lagerberg (drums), Lars-Olof Johansson (keyboard), and Nina Persson (aka Nina Elisabet Persson, lead vocalist). The band has existed unchanged since its formation in '92. Peter and Magnus were influenced by heavy rock and heavy metal before joining with the other band members. The initial sound, which may be heard on their first three albums, starting off with the debut, Emmerdale (1994), the band played a style with vocal jazz elements and a style close to easy listening with a strong influence from baroque pop of the 1960s, and to what some would refer to as indie pop or twee-pop. Hence, the band progressed into more traditional pop / rock, at first with some britpop inspiration and later shaped with a more country rock, folk rock style, and ultimately on their latest and so far final album, Super Extra Gravity (2005), the sound is pop / rock close to alt. rock / indie pop. The majority of their songs have lyrics written by Nina Persson and music composed by guitarist Peter Svensson. After the band's commercial success with Gran Turismo (1998) they all went on a hiatus. Nina Persson got married, and she formed the project band A Camp together with Niclas Frisk (from Atomic Swing) and her husband Nathan Larson (from Shudder to Think). Bassist Magnus Sveningsson released a solo album under the name of Righteous Boy, and guitarist Peter Svensson formed a collaboration project with Kent vocalist Joakim Berg named Paus (Swedish for Pause or Break, as both Kent and Cardigans were bands contemporary on hold). Most recently, the band played live concerts at various festivals in 2012 and 2013 but no material has officially been under its way.

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Kashmir "Travelogue" (1994)

Travelogue
release date: Feb. 17, 1994
format: cd
[album rate: 2 / 5] [2,05]
producer: Poul Martin Bonde
label: Start Electric - nationality: Denmark

Studio debut album by the Danish alt.rock, indie rock and grunge rock trio Kashmir, consisting of Kasper Eistrup on vocals and lead guitar, Mads Tunebjerg on bass, and with Asger Techau on drums. Stylistically, the band base its sound on Red Hot Chili Peppers funky alt. rock style in a mix with grunge rock from Pearl Jam and Smashing Pumpkins. On the national scene, however, the band experienced huge success with its releases, and Kashmir found itself in a league with the best new rock artists especially including (better and more original bands like) Dizzy Mizz Lizzy and Psyched Up Janis - the latter being my personal favorites.
To me, this is pastiche alt. rock and not recommended :-/