Labels: Microphone & Loudspeaker
Review by: MH
Here’s a band I’d probably have been listening to in the 90s had I been aware of them. I now find myself listening to them in 2020 as I thought their debut album from 1998 was getting a reissue when I misread the email this came in on. I re-read the email after a few listens and realised it’s their EPs which have had a reissue – I may or may not get to that review in the next millenium. This album got a mention on the email though so skim reading was my main problem here and it did actually get released on vinyl for the first time in 2013. No matter – it’s not like we’re working at the forefront of new music in Collective Zine Towers in 2020. Anyway, this 1998 album evokes the ghost of 90s indie rock with enough similarities at times to various bands of that era and peddling an introspection and slow-ish pace for the most part with a gentle vocal style from Brendan Webb (somewhere in the realm of Lou Barlow I would say). Plenty of contemplative, wistful guitar lines and bursts of noise on occasion on the likes of “Eclipse” and closing track “Crepe-Paper Fortress”. It’s a very solid record and songs I’d pick out would be “Whole Again” which is largely instrumental and has a lovely, melancholy guitar sound, “Hold Yr Horses” which still sounds fresh 22 years after its release with its refrain of “My white horse can fly”, and the more driven “Helicopters” which follows it. Glad this one has been dug up. I feel sure I’d have played this to death if I’d have known of them in the 90s but I’m catching up now.