Labels: Second Nature
Review by: Martin Brown
This has to be the most anticipated record of 2000 as far as I’m concerned. Every so often a record comes along that totally inspires and leaves you inawe of the power of music (fuck I am a pretentious, emo dick!). “Choose Bronze” and “Dot Dash Something Or Other Dot” were two such records. I waslike a kid on Christmas morning when this dropped through the letterbox.First up, as with “Choose Bronze”, the packaging is beautiful. Absolutelybeautiful. A kinda Japanese theme with what looks like Mt Fuji on it (I’ve been there, y’know… yeeees). But fuck that – I ripped the CD out andbunged it in. And as “A Dead Deer” seeped out of the speakers I realised Iwasn’t going to be disappointed. “Moving Mountains”, as with the other CDstakes a few listens, but once you’ve heard it enough times, everything fallsinto place, and you’ll recognise this CD as perhaps the greatest exponent ofits genre ever. The band have more urgency and polish about them now. Thesound is crisper, more experienced and more dynamic, plus they seem moreconfident and play with more balls than before. “Ancient Injury” is aperfect testament to that. The wonderful, innovative, experimental breaksinto different timings are all still there but blend in more with the songitself – “A Thousand Oaks (Away From Home)” is an awesome example of howthey can execute this, incorporating weird, out of time stuff, bouncy hooks,heart stoppingly good backing vocal / vocal interchanges, guitar twinklescontrasting with immense riffage and everything in between. Gone are themore predictable parts, and in come these gorgeous little harmonies to fillthe space. Each song has a little nugget or two in there which just hit youafter you’ve heard the record, and don’t let up til you go back and listento it – and when you do you just go mental and have to play it again andagain! Recently a friend and I had a debate about who we liked better out ofthem and THE GET UP KIDS, and I sided CL but harboured a love for the wayGUK got hold of a riff or melody and pounded it out in such a way that makesyou want to sing it out until your throat is hoarse. Now CL have perfectedthis art and I have to say are doing it better than GUK!!! It’s so wellcrafted; I could write an essay on it but you’re either bored or overwhelmedby now. Either way, I suggest that you pick this unbelievable package upwhen you get the chance to. Every faction of it oozes with absoluteperfection. If they can improve, I’ll collapse. The only record which hashad anywhere near such an effect upon me is “Fairweather Fan” by CLAIRMEL.Best record ever? Possibly.