4AD 1996 / Lush / His Name is Alive / Dead Can Dance / Lisa Germano

1996


C AD 6004 - Lush / Lovelife
Released March 18 1996

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Lovelife represents a major shift in style for Lush. Nearly abandoning the trancy melodies and droning guitars that were its trademark, the band has crafted an album full of sharp hooks and melodies, one that owes a great deal to the Britpop mania of 1995. From the circular melody of the opening "Ladykillers," it's clear that Lush had been influenced by the direct, jagged pop of Elastica, but the band also has reached back into '60s pop. All of the ballads on Lovelife are rooted in the hazy dream pop of the early '90s, but they are given stylish, mod arrangements complete with muted brass. Even more startling is the Nancy Sinatra/Lee Hazlewood pastiche of "Ciao!," an irresistible duet between Miki Berenyi and Pulp's Jarvis Cocker. Lovelife simply would have been an embarrassing attempt to seem fashionable if the band hadn't succeeded in updating its sound. However, Lush has been able to recreate itself as a pop band and the result is its most direct -- and arguably most rewarding -- album. - Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

BAD 6007 - His Name Is Alive / Universal Frequencies
Released May 28 1996

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Along with the lovely, summery title track, the Universal Frequencies EP features more sweet sonic experimentation from His Name Is Alive. The spacy folk of "Up Your Legs Forever" and the brooding, evocative "Your Word Against Mine" recall the group's earlier work without rehashing it, while "Summer of E.S.P." continues His Name Is Alive's trend of mixing nostalgic pop and cutting-edge production. A hard-to-find but fan-pleasing offering. - Heather Phares, All Music Guide

CAD 6008 - Dead Can Dance / Spiritchaser
Released June 03 1996

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Dead Can Dance's final album Spiritchaser was something of an unusual release - it's not as much of an anomaly as the first album, but one can hear the duo wanting to stretch a bit more, however subtly. Perry and Gerrard's personal and creative tensions didn't stop them from creating another fine album, though there's a strong sense the group had finally reached a logical end. Essentially, Spiritchaser is a summing up rather than a push forward; it features all the usual elements of a Dead Can Dance album instead of further explorations to see what else could be done. Toward the Within and contributors Ronan O'Snodaigh and Lance Hogan, as well as previous collaborator Peter Ulrich, appear on some tracks here, most specifically on the opening "Nierika" and "Dedicace Outro." Both are laden with lots of percussion -- unsurprising when one realizes that five performers are creating the drumming! Outside of Turkish clarinet by Renaud Pion on the Beatles-sampling "Indus," it's nothing but Perry and Gerrard throughout the album, with another combination and arrangement of multiple influences coming to bear. Both PerryGerrard are in fine voice throughout, their strong singing still the centerpiece of their work, but there's almost an air of predictability to their approaches at this point (perhaps explaining Perry's greater experimentation on his solo debut years later). Interestingly, overtly rock elements like Morricone-styled electric guitar appear at points amid the usual melange of various percussion instruments and arrangements. It works surprisingly well, indicating where the duo might have gone had they continued on. Spiritchaser ends on a strong note, the gentle, mysterious "Devorzhum," a Gerrard-sung number that makes for a grand conclusion. - Ned Raggett, All Music Guide

CAD 6010 - His Name Is Alive / Stars on E.S.P.

Released June 24 1996

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As usual, Michigan-based sonic envelope-pushers His Name Is Alive continue to boggle expectations with their beautiful, exciting music. On their fourth album for 4AD, Stars on ESP, the group mixes dub, dream pop, surf, country, and Pet Sounds-era Beach Boys into something altogether unique. The songs range from the deceptively simple, folky "Answer to Rainbow at Midnight" and "Famous Goodbye King" to bouncy pop like "Bad Luck Girl," "The Bees," and "Across the Street." Then there are the songs that defy easy description, like the beautiful, lilting "Dub Love Letter" and the "Good Vibrations" pastiche "Universal Frequencies." On the whole, Stars on ESP is their most acoustic-based since 1992's Home Is in Your Head and their brightest-sounding since Mouth by Mouth. However, the trademark strange, spacy noises that peppered the band's other releases can still be found on this album, particularly on "What Else Is New List" and "Wall of Speed." An eclectic, unique album -- it even includes a gospel song -- from an eclectic, unique band, Stars on ESP features His Name Is Alive at their most accessible and exciting. - Heather Phares, All Music Guide

CAD 6012 - Lisa Germano / Excerpts from the Love Circus
Released September 09 1996

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After the wrenching but rewarding Geek the Girl, Lisa Germano widens her focus and brightens her outlook on Excerpts From a Love Circus. Of course, Love Circus is a Lisa Germano album, but it's a slightly lighter take on her vulnerable, folky dream-pop: only she could make the refrain "Bruises, bruises, bruises" equally catchy and disturbing. As the title suggests, Excerpts From a Love Circus collects vignettes about hating the one you love and loving the one you hate; once again, Germano captures awkward, abstract feelings with her dreamy arrangements, hooky songwriting and unflinching lyrics. Passive-aggressive love songs like "I Love a Snot" sport flourishes like toy pianos and tablas, and incisive comments like "A Beautiful Schizophrenic"'s "I know you like my bad side/I love you like my good side." Germano's dark, self-effacing sense of humor surfaces on "Victoria's Secret," which answers the question "What is Victoria's Secret?" for once and all: "She says 'You are ugly/I am pretty/Your man wishes/You looked like me.'" Musically, Excerpts from a Love Circus is her most grounded and eclectic work since Happiness, spanning the intricate, spooky pop of "Baby on the Plane," the folky "Forget It, It's a Mystery," the menacing, Eastern-influenced "Lovesick," and the jangly "Small Heads." Germano closes the album on a gentle, hopeful note, suggesting with a trio of ballads -- "Singing to the Birds," "Messages From Sophia" and "Big Big World" -- that finding and losing love isn't the worst thing in the world, as long as you don't lose yourself in the process. It's not quite as gripping as some of her other albums, but Excerpts From a Love Circus is still a genuine, thoughtful album and a welcome addition to Germano's body of work. - Heather Phares, All Music Guide