Sunday 18 June 2017

Volume 17 Side Three - Slowdive, Frank Black, Hole, That Petrol Emotion, Mega City Four





















1. Slowdive - Alison (Creation)

By 1993, whatever initial buzz there had been around Slowdive had almost entirely waned. The press were largely scornful, sales were weak, and despite going "ambient techno" at the end of the year in an incredibly successful and convincing way, they were done for, limping on until 1995 but barely registering in the public's consciousness (though I'm sure in a parallel universe somewhere, they did manage to successfully reinvent themselves as a techno outfit).

That's annoying, because "Alison" is probably the finest single they released, an incredibly mature piece of work which left their earliest trippy-hippy offerings in the dust. For once, their sound isn't altogether sure of itself, and a menace creeps into "Alison" which isn't immediately apparent, but the more you listen to it, the more it's there, like a previously unnoticed shadow in the corner of the room. Focusing all its attention on a woman whose "messed up world still thrills me", the track's hazy production then envelopes itself around the chorus, where the lines "Alison, I said, we're sinking/ But she lies and tells me she's just fine" suddenly reveal discontent and disquiet. The tune warps its way around this idea, portraying a druggy tranquility masking something wrong with the lives of the protagonists. For all its apparent blissed euphoria, there's a clear wobble to this single's stride.

It's all very ambiguous, of course, and that makes it all the more compelling. Throughout the years I've listened to this single, I've invented a multitude of possible scenarios for the couple in the song, and I'd have hated the band to spoil any story - assuming there is one - by being explicit (Elbow attempted something on very similar lines with their single "Powder Blue", but it lacked the same subtlety and mystery).

Had Slowdive been bouyed up enough by critics and their record label to carry on through right the mid-nineties, there's a slight possibility they'd have become an "important" band in the way we now consider Radiohead or My Bloody Valentine to be "important". Indifference from all sides blasted away any hope of that, however.



2. Frank Black - Hang On To Your Ego (4AD)

Who could forget how excited we were by Frank Black's solo career after the demise of Pixies? His early releases were the subject of much press and public (or at least indie kid) curiosity, and... well, without wanting to be entirely dismissive, unfortunately most of us did tend to go running further towards The Breeders section in our local record stores. In some cases that was rather dismissive, as large chunks of his solo work actually stand up. In the case of others, we'll have to cough politely.

With "Hang On To Your Ego", it's actually completely impossible to understand what on Earth he was trying to accomplish. As a cover version of a much-loved "Pet Sounds" track it almost sounds like a stabbing piss-take. Brian Wilson's original idea is peppered with lots of analogue synthesiser bleeps and boops, and an almost early Seventies Chicory Tip styled rhythm. Lawrence out of Felt/ Denim probably loved this, but it was an utterly baffling single to most of us, albeit one which sounded like fun for the first few spins.



3. Hole - Beautiful Son (City Slang)

Comparisons are probably unnecessary, but I always preferred Hole to Nirvana. Nirvana were the slick, acceptable face of grunge, whereas Hole had such a creeping air of menace about them at this point that some of their tracks almost pinned you to the wall. This was obviously helped by the fact that Courtney Love's force of delivery and character was so intense. Whatever you think of her as a person, or where her career has gone since, her complex character and huge ego left an impact on every record and live show.

Hole's work was littered with strange, disturbing imagery as well, not least this single's line "You look good in my clothes/ I can feel you where the doctor goes" which sits uneasily with all the menacing chords around it. While the track was written about Kurt, that doesn't stop the idea from being any less strange.

However, the crucial difference between Hole and other groups of the era like Babes In Toyland was their ability to combine those warped moments with sudden bursts of melody or other subtle emotions - in this case, the line "You're barren, like me" at the end. Whereas their rivals screamed and shouted for two minutes, kicking up hell along the way, Hole dropped their guard and showed their underbelly just often enough to provoke more interest.



4. That Petrol Emotion - Detonate My Dreams (Koogat)

Northern Ireland's That Petrol Emotion felt as if they had been around forever at this point. Featuring The Undertones' lead guitarist Brendan O'Neill and beginning their recording career in 1986, most of their records up until this point had been issued on major labels, with the band earning themselves contractual stints with both Polydor and Virgin.

After their time with Virgin also resulted in no hits whatsoever and only a cult following to speak of, they retreated to release their final LP "Fireproof" on their own Koogat label. While the group tried to downplay the move as potentially positive in that it would allow them more creative freedom, inevitably it couldn't last, and they split up not long afterwards.

This is frustrating, as "Detonate My Dreams" is one of their finest moments. Sounding as if they had taken at least some of their cues from the Manic Street Preachers, it sees the band edging towards a rockier, more anthemic sound without losing a shred of their original darkness and edginess. It's filled to the brim with a sparky energy and a defiant attitude, and could have perhaps actually performed better commercially with some major label support. But it was too late for that now... and as a result, this is probably one of their most unjustly under appreciated singles.



5. Mega City Four - Iron Sky (Big Life)

Mega City Four were the Transit van workhorses of the early nineties indie scene, building a sizeable cult following not through major critical acclaim or radio airplay (though Peel loved them) but through their willingness to seemingly play every single smalltown toilet heading north up the UK - then do it all again on the south road back to their native Farnborough again.

"Iron Sky" wasn't their strongest single from this period. The jangly sixties pop of "Stop" and the power pop melodies of "Shivering Sands", both minor Top 40 hits, would be better examples. Nonetheless, it does typify their sound and possibly explain their appeal. They were a straightforward, punkish, meat-and-potatoes band who favoured simple, catchy songs with moody, angsty lyrics. Their music enjoyed a very minor second wave in the mid-nineties as some of the baggy trouser wearing skate kids picked up on their sound, finding it compatible with a number of the poppier US punk bands who were finally emerging on UK record store racks.

The band broke up in 1996, but the careers of lead singer Wiz and bass player Gerry Bryant continued for awhile afterwards in the group Serpico. Sadly, Wiz developed a blood clot on his brain and passed away in December 2006.

1 comment:

  1. and so it came to pass that in 2017 Slowdive were finally recognised as an important band and undeniably hugely influencial in post-rock. new self titled album is a thing of beauty

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