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2LP
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PLEXUS 002LP
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Double LP version. Having ended the '90s with the spirited Laughing Mostly compilation of singles and demos, Delta finally released their debut studio album of twelve songs in the summer of 2000 on the Dishy Recordings label. Accepting that this might be their sole studio album the band threw everything at these recordings allowing it to exist in its own sphere, unbothered by their contemporary generation and disregarding the idea of even releasing a single. Recorded at DEP International there was a notable difference to the scruffier, looser charm of their 1990s recordings, a tighter focus developed by having the experienced Lenny Franchi mixing the LP with them. Lenny had been working with a number of Island artists including My Bloody Valentine and Tricky so knew his way around a desk. There was also the question of budget, so every day counted. Ultimately though you can hear the joy in the recordings, even amongst the melancholy and angst. As James recently recalled in an interview in Shindig! Magazine: "It was such a big deal for us. It's one of my fondest memories doing that record. Everyone was happy. If there's anything that I'd stand by, I think it would be that." Louis Clark Jr joined the band towards the end of the '90s and brought a classically-trained element to the recordings particularly with his string arrangements. For "Cuckoo," "I Want You," and the prophetic "We Come Back" Louis brought in eight players from the Birmingham Conservatoire; the baroque style is partly why the record often receives comparisons to Love's "Forever Changes." On release Slippin' Out was a big favorite with writers at the NME, Mojo, and The Guardian again and before long the band were signed to Mercury/Universal for their second studio album Hard Light, a far more expensive and expansive love affair. It was a temporary palatial home where things quietly fell apart again, but that's another chapter.
"If long-term memory is nothing more than selective editing and only pop's most weighty visceral works are built to last then it's quite possible that in 50 years the Britpop era will be best recollected for the two bands it ostracized. Earlier this year we met Shack and thought their story of mercurial brilliance indicated the biggest music biz oversight of the '90s. We were wrong because we hadn't met Delta yet. This is richer and more engrossing than anything by Shack." --The Guardian
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CD
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PLEXUS 002CD
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Having ended the '90s with the spirited Laughing Mostly compilation of singles and demos, Delta finally released their debut studio album of twelve songs in the summer of 2000 on the Dishy Recordings label. Accepting that this might be their sole studio album the band threw everything at these recordings allowing it to exist in its own sphere, unbothered by their contemporary generation and disregarding the idea of even releasing a single. Recorded at DEP International there was a notable difference to the scruffier, looser charm of their 1990s recordings, a tighter focus developed by having the experienced Lenny Franchi mixing the LP with them. Lenny had been working with a number of Island artists including My Bloody Valentine and Tricky so knew his way around a desk. There was also the question of budget, so every day counted. Ultimately though you can hear the joy in the recordings, even amongst the melancholy and angst. As James recently recalled in an interview in Shindig! Magazine: "It was such a big deal for us. It's one of my fondest memories doing that record. Everyone was happy. If there's anything that I'd stand by, I think it would be that." Louis Clark Jr joined the band towards the end of the '90s and brought a classically-trained element to the recordings particularly with his string arrangements. For "Cuckoo," "I Want You," and the prophetic "We Come Back" Louis brought in eight players from the Birmingham Conservatoire; the baroque style is partly why the record often receives comparisons to Love's "Forever Changes." On release Slippin' Out was a big favorite with writers at the NME, Mojo, and The Guardian again and before long the band were signed to Mercury/Universal for their second studio album Hard Light, a far more expensive and expansive love affair. It was a temporary palatial home where things quietly fell apart again, but that's another chapter.
"If long-term memory is nothing more than selective editing and only pop's most weighty visceral works are built to last then it's quite possible that in 50 years the Britpop era will be best recollected for the two bands it ostracized. Earlier this year we met Shack and thought their story of mercurial brilliance indicated the biggest music biz oversight of the '90s. We were wrong because we hadn't met Delta yet. This is richer and more engrossing than anything by Shack." --The Guardian
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PLEXUS 001CD
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Hailing from the suburbs of Glasgow, this five-piece are best known for their three starry-eyed albums on the renowned Sarah Records -- this being an expanded version of their first (an eight-track 10" at the time). By the tail end of the 1980s the independent music scene in the UK was turning its back on the polish and over-indulgence of the mid-'80s with its gated drums and wallpaper production. And those who weren't stretching the boundaries of sonic innovation had tuned back to the post-punk ethos of ramshackle charm and zealous melody, even dousing the spirit with some political fervor once more. Influences were more likely to be Television and the Television Personalities than MTV. The Orchids and The Sea Urchins were the first two bands to release 7" singles on the Sarah label having previously begun their recording existence on a shared flexi disc in 1987 (The Sea Urchins went on to become Delta, whose classic album Slippin' Out from 2000 will be the second release on Circuitry). The Scottish five-piece released I've Got a Habit and Underneath the Window, Underneath the Sink as EPs before really finding their feet with Lyceum; the tracks, remastered from the original Toad Hall tapes are included on this reissue as are the three songs from the "What Will We Do Next?" 7" (this collection closes with the frazzled stretch that is "Yawn"). Lyceum was originally released in August 1989. The album opens with "It's Only Obvious" and its gloriously youthful chorus of "who needs tomorrow when all I need, all I needed was you." James Hackett somehow appears both forthright and rejected, something that one of their musical heroes The Go-Betweens also had down to a fine art. It barely takes a breath until midway through side two where "Hold On" (sounding suspiciously like an unlikely objective) descends into the intro of "Blue Light," the counted-in "1, 2, 3, 4" whispered like the most hopelessly dejected rally. If that sounds depressing it isn't. This record by The Orchids was a spirited source of comfort for an 18-year-old at the time and still shudders with the best type of melancholy, one that's spirited not indulgent. If you're not familiar with the band's charm, this is where you should begin.
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2LP
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PLEXUS 001LP
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Double LP version. Hailing from the suburbs of Glasgow, this five-piece are best known for their three starry-eyed albums on the renowned Sarah Records -- this being an expanded version of their first (an eight-track 10" at the time). By the tail end of the 1980s the independent music scene in the UK was turning its back on the polish and over-indulgence of the mid-'80s with its gated drums and wallpaper production. And those who weren't stretching the boundaries of sonic innovation had tuned back to the post-punk ethos of ramshackle charm and zealous melody, even dousing the spirit with some political fervor once more. Influences were more likely to be Television and the Television Personalities than MTV. The Orchids and The Sea Urchins were the first two bands to release 7" singles on the Sarah label having previously begun their recording existence on a shared flexi disc in 1987 (The Sea Urchins went on to become Delta, whose classic album Slippin' Out from 2000 will be the second release on Circuitry). The Scottish five-piece released I've Got a Habit and Underneath the Window, Underneath the Sink as EPs before really finding their feet with Lyceum; the tracks, remastered from the original Toad Hall tapes are included on this reissue as are the three songs from the "What Will We Do Next?" 7" (this collection closes with the frazzled stretch that is "Yawn"). Lyceum was originally released in August 1989. The album opens with "It's Only Obvious" and its gloriously youthful chorus of "who needs tomorrow when all I need, all I needed was you." James Hackett somehow appears both forthright and rejected, something that one of their musical heroes The Go-Betweens also had down to a fine art. It barely takes a breath until midway through side two where "Hold On" (sounding suspiciously like an unlikely objective) descends into the intro of "Blue Light," the counted-in "1, 2, 3, 4" whispered like the most hopelessly dejected rally. If that sounds depressing it isn't. This record by The Orchids was a spirited source of comfort for an 18-year-old at the time and still shudders with the best type of melancholy, one that's spirited not indulgent. If you're not familiar with the band's charm, this is where you should begin.
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