Ash - 1977[1996]
Two-thirds of Ash were born in 1977, which means that their latter-day punk-pop isn't very catholic. Instead of sticking to the rigid rules of American punk-pop — which means you can't stretch the song past three minutes — Ash take a cinematic approach to their songs, throwing in elements of power pop, glam, post-
download
Catatonia - Paper Scissors Stone
For awhile there, Catatonia sounded novel and fresh in the middle of a British music scene warped on maudlin self-respect, but now that they've gone and suffered through their own euphemistically tinged bouts of exhaustion and pop star rehabilitation, the rot has set in. With its sobered, Veruca Salt-style drift and gospel-orchestrated ill assessments, Paper Scissors Stone is, more than anything else, a warning against ever misunderstanding what it means to have most of the people like you only some of the time. In reality, there's nothing like chugging indie sung with the ferocity of a grown woman laying an egg to give a little polish to your record collection, but even the most committed fan should admit that there can be too much of an odd thing. Guitarist and core songwriter Mark Roberts offers very little for ex-girlfriend Cerys Matthews' sense of loss, fiddling with pop's bellybutton in the feathery "Shore Leave" or beside the ridged energy of "Stone by Stone," and he goes to great lengths to remind you of empty batteries and the terrible, regrettable reconciliation of ex-lovers. Perhaps given more time to situate itself against the shifting British indie community, Paper Scissors Stone would be viewed as a welcome return. Instead, it sounds like the clumsier, more brittle answer to International Velvet, with the natural pop thrills cut off at the knees and the music an unmemorable parenthesis to a career built on reactionary sleight of hand. [The Japanese release adds "Long Time Lonely" and "Apple Core" to the album.(all music guide)
Doves - The Last Broadcast[2002]
When Doves issued Lost Souls in fall 2000, Britpop was immersed in its melodic gloom-and-doom era, ushered in by the success of Radiohead. The likes of Coldplay, Travis, Elbow, and Starsailor followed in their wake, as did Doves. What separated Doves from the rest was a glint of passion, evident on their 2000 debut, Lost Souls. Two years later, the atmospheric dreamscapes of Lost Souls were torn asunder for the musical daybreak of The Last Broadcast. As it turns out, the psychedelic vibrancy of "Catch the Sun," the brightest track on the album, pointed toward this brave second record. Gone are the hazy space rock trips and the cheerless attitudes; Doves are on the sunny side of the street for The Last Broadcast. The seven-minute sonic boom of "There Goes the Fear" finds Jimi Goodwin sharing vocals with Jez and Andy Williams for a glorious chorus. Each of them switches up vocal duties throughout, lending a joyous feel to the album itself. From the bold front of "Words" to the fiery momentum of "Pounding," The Last Broadcast shows a refreshing rawness that was absent before. The High Llamas' Sean O'Hagan delivers sweeping orchestral arrangements for the sublime "Friday's Dust," while the electronic dewdrops of "The Sulphur Man" push Doves' divine ambience further to the front.Doves were caught up in making grand compositions on Lost Souls, which worked fabulously, but it was too much. They've stripped down to the basics, letting the optimism of The Last Broadcast take center stage. It's a brilliant moment. (all music guide)
Gomez - Bring It On
The British band Gomez is a five-piece, consisting of Ben Ottewell (vocals, guitar), Tom Gray (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Paul Blackburn (bass, guitar), Olly Peacock (drums), and Ian Ball (vocals, guitar, harmonica). Whereas the majority of up-and-coming British bands are either retro-pop (à la Oasis), trip-hop (Portishead), or space rock (the Verve, Radiohead), Gomez is one of the few to contain bluesy elements in their rock. Their debut for Virgin Records, Bring It On, was praised in the rock press on both sides of the Atlantic. They also received the distinguished Mercury Music Prize for 1998 Album of the Year in England, where they edged out such stiff competition as Massive Attack's Mezzanine and the Verve's Urban Hymns. They completed their inaugural U.S. tour opening for Eagle-Eye Cherry in October 1998, while the press still offered praise -- Spin magazine called Bring It On "a damn beautiful album," giving it an eight-out-of-ten rating. Liquid Skin followed in 1999 and the rarities and B-sides compilation Abandoned Shopping Trolley Hotline was issued a year later. A third studio album, In Our Gun, appeared in spring 2002. Another hiatus saw Ian Ball relocating to Los Angeles, while still working with the band at their new studio in Portslade, England. The dozens of tracks recorded during this time were whittled down and fashioned into Split the Difference, released in May of 2004. By that time, Hut, their original label, had gone under, leaving them signed to Virgin (Hut's distributor). Despite all the critical acclaim, sales were never up to what Virgin was expecting from Gomez, and the two sides parted ways later that year. In 2005, they signed with ATO Records and released Out West, Gomez's first live album, in June of that year. How We Operate arrived in May 2006, and the band rounded out the year by assembling a retrospective collection of singles, rarities, and unreleased tracks for Five Men in a Hut: Singles 1998-2004. ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide
Geneva - Further
Taking cues from Suede and Smiths, as well as the Byrds and the Lovin' Spoonful, Geneva carved out a distinctive, idiosyncratic niche in the post-Brit-pop territory of late '90s British indie-rock. Geneva formed in 1992 in Aberdeen, Scotland when Andrew Montgomery (vocals) and Steven Dora (guitar) met and began writing songs together. Montogmery was then working as a journalist for the Sunday Post and Dora was studying marine biology at university, and neither had previously been in a band before. Eventually, they recruited guitarist Stuart Evans and bassist Keith Graham and, after spending some time working with a drum machine, drummer Douglas Caskie. Playing both originals and '60s folk-rock standards, the band began rehearsing under the name Sunfish and started playing Scottish clubs as of 1992. Over the course of the next year, their enthusiasm began to wear out, and they eventually stopped sending out demos. Nevertheless, they continued playing and writing new songs that were more individual than their previous material, using this new material as leverage for a gig in London. One of these new demos made its way toward Nude Records, who signed the band after witnessing one rehearsal. Changing their name from Sunfish to Geneva, the band released their debut single "No One Speaks" to considerable praise in the latter half of 1996. It was followed in early 1997 by "Into the Blue," and by its release, the UK weekly music press had divided into factions that supported Geneva and critics who believed they were a manufactured band. Geneva released their full-length debut album, Further, early in the summer of 1997. Their sophomore effort, Weather Underground, arrived three years later. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
Gene - Olympian[1995]
1. Haunted by You
2. Your Love, It Lies - Gene, James, Matt
3. Truth, Rest Your Head
4. A Car That Sped
5. Left-Handed
6. London, Can You Wait?
7. To the City
8. Still Can't Find the Phone
9. Sleep Well Tonight
10. Olympian
11. We'll Find Our Own Way
download
Posts
