4AD 1992 / Various / Lush / The Breeders / Michael Brook / Swallow / Red House Painters / Unrest / Bettie Serveert

1992

SHUFFLE1 - Various Artists / Lilliput
Released 1992

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To celebrate its new corporate partnership with Warner Bros., 4AD released this beautiful two-disc promotional package that, sadly, never earned traditional retail release. What's a shame is that Lilliput offers a definitive overview of 4AD's output up to 1992, assembling 16 tracks from the label's salad days capturing its most influential and enduring acts at the peak of their respective powers. Landmark songs like Modern English's "I Melt with You," Cocteau Twins' "The Spangle Maker," This Mortal Coil's "Song to the Siren," M/A/R/R/S's "Pump Up the Volume" and the Pixies' "Monkey Gone to Heaven" were enormously critical in shaping the sound and spirit of their times, and even if only a handful of 4AD's releases were commercial hits in the traditional sense, no label was home to more of the great acts of '80s U.K. indie music. A 13-track compilation of next-generation signings like Pale Saints, Swallow, and Spirea X rounds out the set.

CAD 2002 - Lush / Spooky
Released January 27 1992

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For Lush's first proper full-length, the band opted to work again with Robin Guthrie. Though generally delightful, Spooky suffers from being bottlenecked into a dream-drift haze that isn't as convincing as the ones concocted by the likes of My Bloody Valentine and A.R. Kane. On paper the Guthrie/Lush collaboration seems like a match made in heaven; however, this lacks a punch and balance that begins to frustrate by the latter half. Whatever dynamics Lush appear to be capable of are rendered limp by Guthrie's sonic razing. Saving the record from being buried is a batch of quality songs. Despite its faults, it's more hit than miss. It's easy to criticize the lack of drive, but the drifting nature is rapturous in spots. Regardless, the draftiness is relied upon too often. - Andy Kellman, All Music Guide

BAD 2003 - The Breeders / Safari
Released April 06 1992

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There are only four songs on Safari, but the Breeders continue to improve, growing more muscular and melodic. All of the songs here, especially "Do You Love Me Now?" and a cover of the Who's "So Sad About Us," rival the best on Pod. - All Music Guide

CAD 2007 - Michael Brook / Cobalt Blue
Released June 01 1992

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Recorded in collaboration with luminaries including Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, Cobalt Blue possesses a depth and complexity which standard ambient recordings lack -- much more than a mere showcase for the technical wizardry of Michael Brook's signature "infinite guitar" sound, the album absorbs a vast range of influences spanning from Middle Eastern rhythms to Spaghetti Western soundtracks to forge a series of shimmering dreamscapes as provocative as they are evocative. - Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide

CAD 2010 - Swallow / Blow
Released July 20 1992

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Any early-'90s 4AD release is bound to have certain Cocteau Twins qualities, and Blow is no exception -- unfortunately, Swallow's vaguely danceable grooves add about three cups of water for every cup of pure art-rock influence, and the album comes across as a dated exercise in marginal blissfulness. There's a certain pop appeal to the album's tracks, and it probably won't disappoint those who are utterly dedicated to the arty genre defined by 4AD releases, but Blow simply doesn't distinguish itself from the legions of similarly inspired records that swept Britain during the label's heyday. - Nitsuh Abebe, All Music Guide

CAD 2014 - Red House Painters / Down Colorful Hill
Released September 14 1992

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Not a proper debut as such, Down Colorful Hill instead comprises the demo recordings which won Red House Painters their contract with the 4AD label, released here with minimal overdubbing. Regardless, the group has already reached full maturity; these lengthy, ponderous songs are remarkably evocative portraits of a distinctly tortured psyche -- Mark Kozelek forgoes the camouflage of metaphor to lay his soul on the line, and the honesty of his craft is both beautiful and disturbing. - Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide

GU 1 - Unrest / Imperial f.f.r.r.
Released August 17 1992

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Imperial is Unrest's full-length debut. It fleshes out the pop promise of their early singles, and expands on their pop and experimental background as well. "I Do Believe You Are Blushing," "Cherry Cream On," "Suki," "Isabel," and "June" are still some of the band's best songs, mixing high-energy guitars and subjects like girls and death to infectious effect. A near-perfect album of indie pop. - Heather Phares, All Music Guide

GU 3 - Bettie Serveert / Palomine
Released 1992

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Bettie Serveert's charm, as established from the get-go on their debut album, wasn't any kind of new radicalism but the members' way around well-known rock styles to unexpected effect. Everything from third album Velvet Underground and Neil Young's furious electric heights to the Wedding Present's bruised romanticism (the production especially calls to mind some of Steve Albini's work for that band) has an echo here. What makes it all connect isn't simply the considerable abilities of the group, especially guitarists Visser and van Dijk, but van Dijk's strong singing and lyrics both. Combining both a low-key sass and a slightly distanced, concerned tone, her voice cuts directly through the arrangements, the most upfront thing in the mix. Comparisons aren't easy to make; early Chrissie Hynde makes a certain amount of sense, but van Dijk is no clone. As for her subject matter, small details of everyday life, especially concerns of identity and dealing with others, form the basis of her sharp, sometimes painfully close to the heart images. "Brain-Tag," with her plaintive refrain "Have I ever laid my hands on you before?" and "Healthy Sick" are two of the standouts on that level. When she stops to let the music fully take over, the transition is often perfect -- "Kid's Allright" is a good example, the instrumental breaks carrying the forceful feel of the words into the nonverbal. "Tom Boy," the surprise U.S. minor radio hit from the album, shows the quartet's mix of skills quite nicely. A mid-paced but lovely number with a descending chord riff à la T. Rex (if not as glammy otherwise) and van Dijk's multi-tracked vocals claiming the term for herself, "because only a tom boy could rise above it," make Palomine a quietly addictive number from this fine album. - Ned Raggett, All Music Guide