Search - Sound :: Shock of Daylight: Heads & Hearts

The best thinking man's British pop band of the 80s

mft | USA | 01/16/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I spent a decade looking for CDs to replace my old vinyl recordings of The Sound. Two years ago Renascent released this disc combining the Heads and Hearts album with the Shock of Daylight EP (along with 2 bonus tracks). If you've never heard the group, this is a fine introduction to their "thinking man's pop" style of rock music. Anthems like One Thousand Reasons and Dreams Then Plans hark back to those days when decisions affecting the rest of one's life are made. The latter song hails from Adrian Borland's self-titled "Teutonic Romantic Period". Burning Part of Me contains the memorable line "Revenge and resolve are up against a weakening will." Teen angst, this isn't. Rather, these could well have been written by 30 year old men looking back at what was and what may have been. Borland's neat, crisp lyrics and airy vocals layer brilliantly over light pop melodies - some hooks are impossible to get out of your head. Renascent suggested they might re-release other bands of the 80s era, or even The Sound's album titled From the Lion's Mouth, but I have seen neither since this CD was published in 1996. If you ever see this disc on a store shelf, buy it. A band the likes of The Sound may never appear again.MFT 1/00"

Best work from a great band

P. Farnsworth | Metairie, LA USA | 06/01/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The comp of "Heads and Hearts" and "Shock of Daylight" is one of the best CDs I've bought. This was a period when the band were emerging from the English 'post-punk' gloom sound, sounding invigorated and fuller than before. The result is more comercial than "From the Lion's Mouth" (which is a little on the gloomy side for me) but still engaging and challenging. "Shock of Daylight" is absolutly flawless, with tunes like "Longest Day' sounding like a cross between Big Country. Simple Minds, and A Flock of Seagulls."Heads and Hearts" has a couple of filler tracks but for the most part is exceptional as well, with "Total Recall" being one of the most beautiful rock songs I've ever heard. Adrian Borland is also one of the strongest lyricists I have come across. A great album. They may have not been as consistant as U2, but I think this disc beats anything U2 ever released . . .I'm dead serious."

How did they slip under the radar?

sleep no more | Royal Oak, Michigan United States | 06/01/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"How a song like "New Way of Life" never made it into the pop charts is a mystery. THE SOUND traded having a 'sound' all of their own for a more polished pop approach on these releases and the result is an album that is every bit as good as most "Breakfast Club" pop. While I prefer their early works, this twofer fits well next to anything released in the mid 80's by Simple Minds, Japan, and Talk Talk."