Search - Codeine :: White Birch

A forgotten classic

Mr. R. A. Riggs | London, UK | 01/10/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Albums don't come much bleaker than Codeine's second and final full-length album. But it is also a record in which the over-riding lyrical themes of emptiness and isolation find expression in a form of music which is spare, economical and extemely beautiful. Arriving the same year as debut albums from Low and Bedhead, it is a seminal record in defining what has since become known as slowcore. If you own and love records by either of these bands, then you need The White Birch. However, don't expect a glacial easy-listening ride - the album has harsh moments and in places recalls the tense, dissonant and emotive psychic landscape of Slint's Spiderland. It is no surprise that Mogwai are devotees of this album - Come on Die Young inhabits similarly austere territory. The White Birch is a minimalist masterpiece; Mike McMackin's bare, reverbed mix creates the desolate sense of open space which contributes significantly to the power of the record's sparsely beautiful songs, which are (of course) slow and narcotic, yet also capable of painful explosions of discordant noise. Suffering a similar fate to Rodan's Rusty, the record has been largely ignored since its release, in stark contrast to the steadily growing critical reputation of Slint. While perhaps not as decade-defining as Spiderland, The White Birch is certainly as essential - buy it now!"

ALL HAIL THE MIGHTY CODEINE

Mr. R. A. Riggs | 12/18/1998

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Sadly this was to be the last yet most dazzling album by the mighty Codeine. This album is filled with quiet melancholic passages that quite often erupts in distorted noise. Along with Sunny Day Real Estate this is one of the truely great American indie-bands."

Overlooked

Strobe Lights And Blown Speakers | Louisville | 11/01/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Slow and tense and melancholy. _White Birch_ is the perfect album to sit back and smoke a pack of cigarettes to."