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Lost

Mr. Dj Barry | london | 10/24/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is one of life's great lost indie rock bands. They only lasted a couple of albums, but this is where it all started. Unfortunately having made the album and released it before they were established and had a larger fan base, this album was considered a flop on release (PB JNR's stock sound bite after the release was 'carou-diddnt-sel.), and as their sound was still developing it was considered to be a betrayal of their live sound which was fast becoming more true to where the band were as a unit, where they would operate in the future. By the time the second album Are You Receiving? appeared interest had started to wane. But, as a new set of ears to the band, that is irrelevant. Since what you have here is ten (11 if you get the international version with sublime B-side Kill This Distraction, Kill Your Reaction.) of the bands budding sleazy indie. a snapshot of a band in development at it's most interesting. What killed the band in the press was the deadly label of Radiohead-lite, or placebo-head, sure they are all fairly accurate, but all have highly negative connotations to a band trying to establish themselves as something unique, interesting and idiosyncratic. i like to think of them as a more baroque indie serenade. I would say that, I used it to woo the ladies back in the day, like my Farinelli, a castrato with androgenic seductive power, guitars that often slinked along like a cat on heat. Bizarre hypnotic drum patterns (the outro pattern on 20th C Bitch) and often with rich production. The carnival style intro sequences on lost hit 86'd, and the demo/remix styling's of gravity girl. Tracks like 'I Want You Like An Accident' show off the bands more fragile momets. 20th C Bitch is the proto Man Of The Year (Are You Recieving?) with enough swagger mixed in with its vulnerability and suggestive ambivalence which would no doubt (should they have had a longer career) have been their trademark sound. To the degree they repeated the same characteristics with the superior single U Love U. This is a really interesting band, and it's such a shame they never got a little more attention. But something tells me back in 1997 the kids weren't quite ready for it. Britain was Oasis (blokey pub rock) 'V' Blur (ironic, arty cockneys) and the US was in a head spin after the demise of grunge's relentless introspection. Suede had taken up all the room for decadant indie stylings (Despite being inferior on every level). Now thanks to more avante guarde acts becoming main stream, bands like this could perhaps be seen as less of a challenge. Just accepted in the wallpaper of our lives."

An undiscovered gem

Mr. Dj Barry | 06/17/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"A remarkable album that mixes many influences from Crowded House to punk and yet comes out the other end breathtakingly original. And they are brilliant live. Don't mess around - buy it and start listening."