“The Raincoats” by The Raincoats - album review

features in: Album Chart of 1979Album Chart of the Decade: 1970s

TJR says

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] 8.7.png The Raincoats - No Side To Fall In (Ana da Silva, Georgina Birch, Victoria Aspinall, Paloma Romero) Indie
A2 [01:52] 9.4.png The Raincoats - Adventures Close To Home (Ana da Silva, Georgina Birch, Victoria Aspinall, Paloma Romero) Post-Punk
A3 [03:14] 5.9.png The Raincoats - Off Duty Trip (Ana da Silva, Georgina Birch, Victoria Aspinall, Paloma Romero) Post-Punk
A4 [02:28] 6.3.png The Raincoats - Black And White (Ana da Silva, Georgina Birch, Victoria Aspinall, Paloma Romero) Post-Punk
A5 [04:01] 7.8.png The Raincoats - Lola (Ray Davies) Indie
B1 [03:51] 6.6.png The Raincoats - The Void (Ana da Silva, Georgina Birch, Victoria Aspinall, Paloma Romero) Post-Punk
B2 [04:21] 7.6.png The Raincoats - Life On The Line (Ana da Silva, Georgina Birch, Victoria Aspinall, Paloma Romero) Indie
B3 [03:32] 6.7.png The Raincoats - You’re A Million (Ana da Silva, Georgina Birch, Victoria Aspinall, Paloma Romero) Post-Punk
B4 [03:11] 8.0.png The Raincoats - In Love (Ana da Silva, Georgina Birch, Victoria Aspinall, Paloma Romero) Post-Punk
B5 [03:16] 7.7.png The Raincoats - No Looking (Ana da Silva, Georgina Birch, Victoria Aspinall, Paloma Romero) Indie

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