features in: Album Chart of 1979 ● Album Chart of the Decade: 1970s |
More non-typical girls. Yay! No lead singer, no guitar solos, no songs about smashing things up. The Raincoats have got a new thing going on. Whilst first impressions scream enthusiastically amateurish, deeper investigation and more familiarity reveals a highly imaginative and creative group exploring, pushing and enjoying. Key member Vicky Aspinall (the violinist) was classically trained; one suspects her craziness was absolutely the result of a considered stylization as opposed to the oft-forwarded notion that it was borne of a technical limitation. There are simple joys at every turn, and the transmission from artist to listener is positively affecting. La joie de vivre I think they call it. The egalitarian quartet responsible for this hugely compelling offering were: Ana da Silva (vocals, keyboards, guitar); Gina Birch (24, vocals, bass guitar); Palmolive (24, drums) and Vicky Aspinall (vocals, guitar, bass guitar, violin). The unconventional oft-proggish rhythms are occasionally Magic Band like, the vocals pretty vacant (even if the lyrics are not), and the stringed instruments seem to revel in some sort of artsy, avant-garde, wonky wonderland. Strangely, the three mighty tracks on the album all appear at the very outset; the post-punk classic “Fairytale In The Supermarket”, the excellent indie-pop trailblazer “No Side To Fall In” and the hooky-kooky elasto-dub of “Adventures Close To Home”. All of the very best and most interesting new music in 1979 was made in England; the birth place of indie pop. What’s that you say? Da Silva’s Portuguese? Doh!
The Jukebox Rebel
27–Apr–2007
Tracklist |
A1 | [01:46] The Raincoats - No Side To Fall In (Ana da Silva, Georgina Birch, Victoria Aspinall, Paloma Romero) Indie |
A2 | [01:52] The Raincoats - Adventures Close To Home (Ana da Silva, Georgina Birch, Victoria Aspinall, Paloma Romero) Post-Punk |
A3 | [03:14] The Raincoats - Off Duty Trip (Ana da Silva, Georgina Birch, Victoria Aspinall, Paloma Romero) Post-Punk |
A4 | [02:28] The Raincoats - Black And White (Ana da Silva, Georgina Birch, Victoria Aspinall, Paloma Romero) Post-Punk |
A5 | [04:01] The Raincoats - Lola (Ray Davies) Indie |
B1 | [03:51] The Raincoats - The Void (Ana da Silva, Georgina Birch, Victoria Aspinall, Paloma Romero) Post-Punk |
B2 | [04:21] The Raincoats - Life On The Line (Ana da Silva, Georgina Birch, Victoria Aspinall, Paloma Romero) Indie |
B3 | [03:32] The Raincoats - You’re A Million (Ana da Silva, Georgina Birch, Victoria Aspinall, Paloma Romero) Post-Punk |
B4 | [03:11] The Raincoats - In Love (Ana da Silva, Georgina Birch, Victoria Aspinall, Paloma Romero) Post-Punk |
B5 | [03:16] The Raincoats - No Looking (Ana da Silva, Georgina Birch, Victoria Aspinall, Paloma Romero) Indie |