Close Lobsters - Headache Rhetoric/Foxheads Stalk This Land

New reissue of 2 Classic Albums on one CD. Close Lobsters’ “Headache Rhetoric” & “Foxheads Stalk This Land”. New digipack and album artwork, part of the Fire Embers series. Darker-hued and more aggressive than the Close Lobsters' much sunnier early releases, Headache Rhetoric is an aptly named album full of roiling guitars, foreboding lyrics, and an increasing sense of tension. Yet even on the most lyrically distressing songs, like the self-explanatory "My Days Are Numbered," there's a dedication to classic pop structures that gives the song a Kinks-like shuffle driven by Robert Burnett's bouncy, McCartney-esque bassline. Similarly, "Got Apprehension" sets a cheerful little ditty about death by decapitation to a sunny "sha-la-la" chorus. By the end of the album, with a powerful remake of "Skyscrapers of St. Mirin" from the 1998 EP What Is There to Smile About and the extended neo-psychedelic freakout "Knee Trembler," there's an almost oppressive sense of doom to the album; set off by the prettiness of most of the melodies and the hazy jangle of the guitars, the overall effect is somewhat akin to Love's Forever Changes, minus the orchestrations. In the mid-'80s, when Britain's underground music scene was dominated by jangly guitars, twee vocals, and fast rhythms, the Close Lobsters were there at the heart. The unusually named Foxheads Stalk This Land was not an album that suffered from over-production, however, this gives the songs a live, gritty feel. Influences stem, quite blatantly, from the Smiths, Orange Juice, the Byrds, and the Buzzcocks. Lyrically, the album does not bear close attention. Most songs comprise phrases which sound good when sung but not printed on a lyrics sheet -- perhaps that's how pop music should be. There is rarely a substandard track to be heard on this fine album, with "I Kiss the Flower in Bloom" being able to grace any Oasis or R.E.M. album.

Track listing : Headache Rhetoric : 1.Lovely Little Swan 2.Gunpowderkeg 3.Nature Thing 4.My Days Are Numbered 5.Gutache 6.Got Apprehension 7.Gulp 8.Words On Power 9.Skyscrapers 10.Knee Trembler //  Foxheads Stalk This Land : 11. Just Too Bloody Stupid 12. Sewer Pipe Dream 13. I Kiss The Flower in Bloom 14. Pathetique 15. A Prophecy 16. In Spite of These Times 17. Foxheads 18. I Take Bribes 19. Pimps 20. Mother of God

Be the first to review this record. Best reviewer each month gets £10 off their next order!