Search - The The :: Soul Mining

What the The F**K?

wm | ...onward....thru the fog! | 02/10/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I can no longer recall how I stumbled upon this gem back in the mid 80s, but it was my first exposure to Matt Johnson AKA the The. Since then, I've acquired just about everything he's done. I just recently heard "this is the day" again, appropriately on a beautiful sunny day on the ski slopes, and realized I'd never bought this CD in spite of the LP sitting in my LP collection for the last 20 years and only occasionally seeing the light of the turntable. This is truly the The's masterpiece. On the surface, it's got a danceable beat through most of the album, but make no mistake, Matt Johnson probes and confronts every aspect of the Jungian shadow with incisive lyrics and genre bending musical influences. Guitars sound like synths and synths like guitars. The real beauty of this album is that it can be played as background music, or, if you dare, intimate, personal mind exploring journeys."

Unforgettable album with apt title

Michael Paulsen | Rancho Santa Margarita, CA USA | 07/03/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"As the 80's drift further away into the dark recesses of public memory, it is albums like this -- Matt Johnson's debut album as The The -- that should be heralded as classics and benchmarks of brilliant songwriting and musicianship. It is a testament to some of the pure genius and creativity that arose out of the New Wave movement. There was nothing else that sounded like this album back in 1984, and it comes as no surprise that -- despite modest use of synths and dance beats -- this albums still sounds incredibly fresh. Each song is an introspective, soul baring examination of not only Matt Johnson's own life but everyman's life. Johnson's lyrics are vivid and often explicit, his vocals raw and aching. While the singles "I've Been Waitin' for Tomorrow", "This Is the Day" and "Uncertain Smile" (featuring a jaw-dropping piano solo by Jools Holland), others like "Soul Mining" and "Giant" are not to be missed. I still feel that Matt Johnson hasn't since matched the sheer intensity of this album, but I'm glad to see that he is still pushing forward, forever refusing to compromise his art."

Timeless, with something relevent to everyone

Burning Blue Soul | UK | 08/28/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I'll never forget the mental girlfriend who introduced me to Matt Johnson and The The back in the eighties and, like Matt's work, she has popped up again and again during the interceding years, seemly at the most opportune moments in my life, reminding me that life is sometimes good, sometimes bad but always continues to move on.

Matt's work has grown and improved over the years but this is, for me, his best work and has the unique ability to immediately bring back to mind a person I once was with complete clarity.

If you've never heard of Matt Johnson or The The, then you're missing out on possibly the finest one of the few remaining true musical artists alive."