▄▄ [ INFORMATION ] ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄
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█ ARTIST: The Wedding Present █
█ TITLE: Valentina █
█ LABEL: Scopitones █
█ GENRE: Indie █
█ BITRATE: 247kbps avg █
█ PLAYTIME: 0h 41min total █
█ RELEASE DATE: 2012-00-00 █
█ RIP DATE: 2012-03-10 █
█ URL: █
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▄▄ [ TRACKLIST ] ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄
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█ 01. You're Dead 5:46 █
█ 02. You Jane 3:07 █
█ 03. Meet Cute 3:48 █
█ 04. Back A Bit...Stop 3:16 █
█ 05. Stop Thief 3:36 █
█ 06. The Girl From The DDR 3:59 █
█ 07. Deer Caught In The Headlights 5:25 █
█ 08. Fidelio 3:07 █
█ 09. End Credits 4:10 █
█ 10. Mystery Date 5:32 █
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▄▄ [ NOTES ] ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄
█ █
█ Review from PoppedCulture.co.uk █
█ Leeds based band The Wedding Present have had a turbulent and epic █
█ history since their inception, years ago in the mid eighties. But, the █
█ spirit seems not to have been lost, as they seem ready to shoot back on █
█ to the scene with their latest album, Valentina, an album recorded and █
█ produced by tiny label, Scopitones, set up and maintained by the bandÆs █
█ lead singer David Gedge. █
█ █
█ ItÆs good, too - itÆs vintage-sounding rock ænÆ roll. One can almost █
█ imagine music videos to the songs in black and white. It sounds aged, █
█ mature and thoughtful, with a happy, head-bopping kind of twist. ItÆs █
█ enough to keep the listener on their toes throughout the whole album, █
█ and there are some major shifts in how songs sound halfway through the █
█ songs themselves, such as the abrupt change from fast paced rock music █
█ to a haunting, buzzing synth sound on Back a Bit... Stop, which was █
█ totally unexpected. Also, the rapid change in pace on Girl from the DDR █
█ is another good example of this. It makes it sound interesting, free and █
█ creative. █
█ █
█ The Wedding Present, as a band, have a lot of history behind them, and █
█ as such a lot of songwriting experience. So, itÆs only natural that they █
█ should have a more mature sound than perhaps some more mainstream, █
█ modern indie bands, and thatÆs exactly whatÆs happened here. ItÆs a █
█ mixture of old-fashioned rock and roll and newer styled indie music, so █
█ itÆs therefore bound to appeal to a wide audience. ItÆs catchy, and also █
█ sounds like it can be used in many contexts û itÆs good background █
█ music, but itÆs also music that can be listened to intently, and enjoyed █
█ wholly in either situation. █
█ █
█ Vocally, GedgeÆs voice lends itself perfectly to the retro rock ænÆ roll █
█ style. ItÆs melancholy without being depressing, tuneful without being █
█ over-the-top and masculine without being gravelly. ItÆs somewhere in the █
█ middle of pop-rock, indie and old-school, early-nineties grunge, and the █
█ fact that itÆs so accessible and at the same time so unique is one of █
█ the things that makes it good to listen to. █
█ █
█ The band have had a long standing of deliberately not signing to a major █
█ label. So, this isnÆt commercialised, manufactured music, itÆs music █
█ thatÆs been written, honed to perfection and then recorded in a small █
█ studio, the way music was, in their opinion, meant to be made, not made █
█ on a computer and plastered all over the Internet. ItÆs an ode to █
█ æsticking it to the manÆ in a less-punk-more-rock-orientated kind of █
█ way, an ode to freedom of expression and songwriting creativity. ItÆs █
█ pleasant to hear. █
█ █
█ Some, more ænew mainstream musicÆ orientated listeners might feel like █
█ it sounds like itÆs recorded in a very æretroÆ way which they might find █
█ sounds a bit æoldÆ for them û because of the fact that it obviously █
█ hasnÆt been manufactured and processed. To many people, yours truly █
█ included, it will sound genuine and distinctly ænot-artificialÆ, but to █
█ others it might sound antiquated. █
█ █
█ But, on the other hand, maybe thatÆs what itÆs meant to sound like, █
█ seeing as The Wedding Present have claimed that they have, since their █
█ outset, been ôrefusing to play the record industryÆs gameö. By making █
█ their album sound deliberately æold-schoolÆ, it reinforces the idea that █
█ anyone can make, record and distribute their music without the help of a █
█ professional label. ItÆs a good idea, it brings the idea of making music █
█ away from the commercial and, in some senses, unreachable and makes it █
█ more about creativity and freedom. ItÆs refreshing and pleasant, and it █
█ brings the band closer to their audience. █
█ █
█ Some might even view this as a little bit ægimmickyÆ, but in this █
█ reviewers mind theyÆre a band thatÆs taken the idea of æindieÆ to the █
█ extreme that, in some ways, actually needs to be done. ItÆs music with a █
█ message, and that message is to make and enjoy music for what it is û █
█ not a business. █
█ █
█ Overall, then, itÆs a total gem of a record, an excellent sounding, █
█ excellently written and recorded album. The Wedding Present may have █
█ been around for a while, deliberately avoiding major record labels in █
█ favour of musical and creative freedom, but it sounds like itÆs a █
█ formula that works for them, and itÆs a formula that helps them make █
█ good music that all can enjoy. A solid 8/10. █
█ █
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