reviews
Still Unravished - A Tribute to the June Brides (Various Artists)
Bliss (The Positions)
There's only one of me (Saint Thomas)
I'm Not Entirely Clear how I Ended Up Like This (Michael Knight)
It's Rag Time! (Soda Fountain Rag)
STILL UNRAVISHED - A TRIBUTE TO THE JUNE BRIDES
(VARIOUS ARTISTS)
YBI01CD
dagger
Tim Hinely, Dagger, 31st May 2006
Don’t know how much press UK 1980’s jangle popsters The June Brides got in the UK but here was little to none. Oh sure, you’d see reviews of their music in the occasional fanzine here but it’s not like ROLLING STONE knew who they were. The pride of Pink Records, the band was led by Phil Wilson (who is still out and about , he even posts fairly regularly on the Indie Pop List ) and he and his merry crew (which included the superb trumpet playing of Jon Hunter) wrote some positively smashing tunes and this 16 song tribute has some heavy hitters (in my household anyway) in the name of Television Personalities, The Tyde, The Mad Scene (who I thought had thrown in the towel long ago ???) , Postal Blue, Bunnygrunt, etc. Even the Manic Street Preachers, a band I don’t hold in very high regard, pull a rabbit out of the hat with the opening, excellent version of “The Instrumental.” And my two Junie faves are here (“In the Rain “ and “Every Conversation” tackle respectively by Lovejoy and The Positions).
drowned in sound
Dom Gourlay, Drowned in Sound, 17th May 2006.
The June Brides were a typical example of the way the British music media builds something up only to knock them down just as they are about to reach their pinnacle. Initially regarded as one of the most inventive guitar thrusting troupes of the early 1980s along with The Smiths, a clutch of lavishly praised singles ('In The Rain', 'Every Conversation', 'No Place Called Home') followed suit and the band were immediately thrown in as part of the now infamous "C86" scene. And ultimately derided as being "too twee". Sadly, in July 1986, the band had enough of the music industry and sadly called it a day, but with the aforementioned three singles and one album ('There are Eight Million Stories') left a legacy that has lived on for two decades, subsequently influencing a number of artists who themselves could be described as being inspirational in their own right. Led by the inimitable songwriting talent of Phil Wilson, The June Brides actually took the post-punk blueprint of Orange Juice one step further and mixed it with the sarcastic lyrical wit of The Smiths, sounding unlike anyone else from that era but without any shadow of a doubt laying the foundations for people like Belle And Sebastian to take the bedroom-indie sound into chartered, commercially successful territories. 'Still Unravished' contains 16 recordings gathered from the June Brides all-too-brief archives, with the most notable contibution being that of the Manic Street Preachers' interpretation of 'The Instrumental', the opening track from the Brides' one and only album. Sticking pretty much to the Manics' current skewered pop formula, it reveals the band's current direction may actually have more to do with their past inclination than many may have previously been led to believe. The Jasmine Minks also offer a rendition of the same track which sticks pretty closely to the original, offering something of a mix and match approach to the variance in styles between most of the artists on this compilation. Elsewhere, The Projects give 'Heard You Whisper' a more tumultuous garage-pop makeover while Bunnygrunt make 'We Belong' sound like the sweetest toothache in full-on stereo. Add the underrated genius of Jeffrey Lewis, understated Gedgisms of Tompaulin and contributions by original scenesters The Legend! and the Television Personalities and you have a mighty fine assortment combined to pay a wholesome, worthy tribute to its subjects. Or you could just log onto eBay and try to beg, steal or borrow a copy of the posthumous compilation 'For Better Or Worse' and fully appreciate what the merits of The June Brides first hand. The choice, as they say, is all yours...
soundsxp
Ged M, SoundsXP, May 14, 2006.
Tribute records are a tricky thing to pull off: too similar to the originals and it sounds like respectful karaoke, too different and you lose the connection. It’s especially difficult when Cherry Red have just compiled a double album of all the best June Brides songs. So is this tribute album worth it? The answer’s a defiant yes. For a start, the current interest in the Junies compensates for the relative neglect when they were around in 1984-85. The careering guitars, sweetly downcast vocals and the touch of Stax soul should have made them big fish in the indie pool but the NME pondkeepers put them on the cover one week and to the back of their minds the next. Listening to ‘Still Unravished’ you notice that they have a much imitated sound. The album is a mix of styles, from the heavy (Manic Street Preachers’ ‘The Instrumental’) to the twee (House of Mexico doing ‘Sick, Tired and Drunk’), and a mix of bands from the Jasmine Minks to Jeffrey Lewis. A song as memorable as ‘Every Conversation’ needs a dramatic retelling if it’s not to be a pale copy of the original, so The Positions add ethereal female vocals and wreathe it in synths so that it sounds alike yet unique. Television Personalities, the band that influenced Phil Wilson and Simon Beezley to start their group, turn ‘I Fall’ upside down with treated vocals, melodica and surgical drumming. The two versions of ‘Heard You Whisper’ are both great in their own right: the Projects ladle on the synths and effects in the spirit of the Junies’ trumpet and viola; Tompaulin offer Jamie’s whispery vocals, sawtoothed guitar rhythms and synths fizzing like a stirred up wasp nest. The worst thing on this record is the Legend!’s murder of ‘This Town’. The Legend! is a former generation’s Spinmaster Plantpot, a man who ought to have an ASBO to prevent him approaching a microphone. His singing is as criminal as child porn, and his offence is worse for the damage inflicted on such a great song. As bad as that version is, the karmic balance is restored by the amazing ‘Pound for Pound’ by the Tyde. With its sauntering rhythms and vocals by Darren that echo Phil Wilson’s downbeat worldview, it channels the spirit of the June Brides from 20 years ago; here’s hoping The Tyde add it to their live set. This is a great tribute: songs that stand up in their own right but also take you back to the originals too. Buy it alongside Cherry Red’s compilation to make your own tribute to an unfairly overlooked band.
The Irish Times
Brian Boyd, The Irish Times, 5th May 2006.
Last in the queue to be rediscovered, The June Brides had a brief but magical reign in the mid-1980s and were very much the darlings of the indie set. Fronted by talented songwriter Phil Wilson, they never released that much (a few singles and a sole album) but they were once Morrissey's favourite band and are constantly name-checked by Primal Scream, Manic Street Preachers and Belle and Sebastian. This tribute album more than does justice to their edgy but melodic pop - The Manics weigh in with a thundering version of The Instrumental, while The Positions work wonders with the beautiful Every Conversation. You may not have heard of many of the bands covering the songs here, but no matter. What stands out is the great indie inventiveness of a band that have been criminally ignored for way too long. Now can we have the reunion tour, please?
BLISS
(THE POSITIONS)
One Chord to Another
Review of 'Bliss!' from One Chord to Another
[Bliss!] rises somewhere from the three-minute wonders of 60's pop a'la Spector and...sets its heart on bringing glorious pop melodies for your pleasure. It's a perfect pop album.
Hitch Magazine
Review from Hitch Magazine
If this world weren’t so damned jaded, The Positions would be on top of it. On the aptly titled Bliss!, their easy-breezy brand of uptempo pop is laden with trombones, trumpets and an all-around dose of good-natured optimism...Even if it’s a dull gray outside, it’s guaranteed to make the sun shine in your heart.
spendid zine
Review from Splendid
Perhaps there's not a lot of room in the cynical indie-rock world for songs that spew awkward hopefulness and optimism by the gallon, but if there is, The Positions will be there -- corsages mounted, party hats strapped to their heads, asking for the next dance.
Exclaim
Review from Exclaim
There really couldn’t be a more appropriate title for the debut album by Washington DC’s the Positions. This is bright, shiny and cute indie pop at its best...should definitely get some smiles on faces and maybe even a few shy indie kids on the dance floor.
THERE'S ONLY ONE OF ME
(SAINT THOMAS)
The Sun
The whole thing exudes home-made charm, individual humour and serious thought, bold tunes and quiet reflection. Time to inspect the Norse....4/5
Uncut
An unsettling, addictive return....4/5
Maverick
Catchy melodies, subtle wit...guarantee overall that this is a Saint Thomas highpoint.....4/5
SoundsXP
For all the analysis, at heart it comes down to the songs. No matter how pained or brutal the subject, Thomas can dig out the sweetest melody that makes it all alright. Stunning…quiet music that plays long and loud; an intimate treasure.
Americana
I find the openness, honest and simplicity; charismatic and irresistible. It is by far his most satisfying work yet...8/10
Boomkat
For alt.country at its most intimate, you won’t be able to find much more honest and heart-wrenching than Saint Thomas.
Entertainment Ireland
As organic as you can get: soft acoustic strummings and light percussion,wistful,bittersweet,a lovely album...3/5
MOJO
Nods to cult US indie benchmarks Galaxie 500, The Mountain Goats and Daniel Johnson, but mostly what you get is the bared soul of Thomas Hansen....3/5
Fly
The coming of a new album by Thomas Hansen is always exciting...it's good to have him back...3/5
Album of the Week - Marc Riley’s Brain Surgery 6Music
MICHAEL KNIGHT
(I'M NOT ENTIRELY CLEAR HOW I ENDED UP LIKE THIS)
State Magazine
I'm not entirely clear why Richie Murphy isn't already a huge star in his own country...Whatever, this state of affairs will surely be put right with their flamboyant second album, explanatorily subtitled 'A Somewhat Disjointed Narrative in 11 Tableux'. A loosely connected series of sharp, witty and acutely observed musings on the high and lows of love and life, it's set to a musical score that is, by turns, quaintly ramshackle and astonishingly accomplished...From the post-modern sleaze of Coronation Street to the ironic triumph of the title track, Murphy's theatrical wit and daring sense of melody puts him on a footing with the likes of Stephen Merritt, Neil Hannon and even Noel Coward. A truly victorious album.
The Sunday Times (UK)
So much that is original and unusual about away-from-the-mainstream music-making informs this second album from Richard Murphy and his collective: a sleeve like a tattered, secondhand book; lyrics presented in play-script form; a sprawling opening track of Swingle-Singers-on-the-lash vocal ravings; the threat that beneath the formal, chamber-pop structures, chaos lurks and dissonance hums; the primacy of the artistic vision, with nothing sweetening or diluting its purpose... Pretty odd, but rather fine.
Hot Press
Perhaps his greatest talent, though, is his ear for poignant lyrics, as evidenced by songs like Coronation Street, Reading Old Diary Entries and You People Are Idiots. I'm Not Entirely Clear... is also a richly collaborative affair, with cameos from Nina Hynes and Miriam Ingram. A wonderful album, from a supreme songwriting talent.
SODA FOUNTAIN RAG
(IT'S RAG TIME!)
Americana (UK)
Whilst Sarandon may want to kill twee pop...I'm pretty sure if they heard this they'd immediately reconsider their manifesto. Ragnhild Hogstad Jordahl is from Bergen (that's Norway) and she makes deceptively uncomplicated pop songs covering universal themes in such a way as to hide their depth...we need something like this to clear out the stinking globs of cholesterol that clog up the arteries of creativity. This cuts through all of that crap and goes straight for the truth with wit and a minimum of fuss..."
SoundsXP
Every song is a short burst of naggingly sweet riffs and fluting keyboards, none more than three minutes and most under two...cleverly constructed, sweetly observed and charmingly spirited indie pop.
Ron Powlus Role Model
...Brilliant. This could be album of the year for you, yeah you, right there in the checkered Vans and long curls down your neck. Or you, yeah you, the librarian with your nose in Nadja. Or you, yeah you, the priest in the liquor store.
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