-=- SHGZ -=-
* Shoegaze * Indie * Post-Rock * Grunge * Dream Pop * Psych-Rock * Ethereal *
ARTIST..: For Against
ALBUM...: Mason's California Lunchroom
GENRE...: Indie
STYLE...: Indie Rock, Post-Punk
YEAR....: 2018
LABEL...: Saint Marie Records
ENCODER.: FLAC 1.3.1 -8 -V
BITRATE.: 907 kbps avg
QUALITY.: 44.1kHz / 2 channels
SOURCE..: CD
TRACKS..: 11
SIZE....: 269.55 MB
URL..: http://www.facebook.com/For-Against-271880109596/
- TRACKLIST
1 Seesick 3:38
2 Vacuum 4:28
3 Crossed 2:40
4 Tagalong 4:34
5 Hindsight 5:06
6 Coursing 2:03
7 Vista 3:12
8 Infamous 4:04
9 Reinventing The Wheel 3:15
10 Mirage 3:14
11 Blow 5:16
Total Playtime: 41:30
A return to form of sorts and a solidification of For Against's key elements,
Mason's California Lunch Room sees the departure of bassist Jeff Gaskins and
the shifting of Jeffrey Runnings back to bass as Steven Hinrichs assumes the
lone guitar duties. The production here is certifiably improved from
Aperture's tinny din, an almost syrupy mix that accentuates the band's assets
without sounding too polished. In regard to sound, it's a couple shades more
gray than Kitchens of Distinction's Strange Free World. The band sounds more
durable and is tougher sounding; Runnings continues his development into a
versatile vocalist, able to be more sing-songy and pop-influenced with each
release. Thankfully doing away with the "get the vocals started immediately"
trick that hampered Aperture, they fully develop their instrumental range,
not afraid to intro with lengthy and economical setups for Runnings' vocals
(see "Vista"'s gorgeous, evocative 80-second intro). There's more room to
breathe, which is a good thing. The lyrics can be stifling in their usually
less-than-subtle and heavy-hearted nature, and with musicians as accomplished
and skilled as these three, the listener is all the better for it. Runnings
and Engelhard are a perfect match rhythmically. It's hard not to wonder why
Runnings let anyone else play bass. Engelhard's a dynamo throughout,
witnessed most on "Seesick"'s stop-starts and on-a-dime rolls. Not quite as
nasty and ill-willed as December's moving bitterness, there are still moments
of staggering darkness. One such image is provided on "Tagalong," when
Runnings states "I hoped you'd find my conscience laying in a pool of blood."
Too bad more people couldn't find this record in a bin at a record store; the
settled lineup with firebrand skill is found at the peak of its powers on
Mason's California Lunch Room, cementing For Against as a band just as
deserving of acknowledgement as Lush and Catherine Wheel.
*
Pioneering darkwave/post-punk band, For Against, have been plying their trade
on-and-off since 1984. Shelf Life was their 5th album and was originally
released in 1997. They take their influences from early 4AD and Factory bands
which was odd for a band from midwest USA at the time.
*
It was surprising-gratifying last decade, when Lincoln, Nebraska stalwarts
For Against finally garnered the cult popularity they'd long deservedùat
least in Europe, where generous, rapturous crowds hailed them as "darkwave"
pioneers. Back home, though, it took this era's shoegaze explosion/revival to
bring them equal underground acclaim, accelerated by Captured Tracks' 2014
Box Set, compiling their two LPs and EP, 1987-1989. It even received a 7.8 in
Pitchfork, suggesting, "If they had gained a tenth of the attention Interpol
attracted, it would have been a wonderful world!"
That richly deserved, delayed recognition is bound to heighten with these
reissues of their three '90s records.
-=- SHGZ -=-
P.S.
** Thanks ***
*** BCC FNT IPC SSR ***
*** For Knowing Where The Music Is At ***
*** Props to CaHeSo, awesome Asian Indie/Shoegaze ***
*** And to FANG/HOUND for supporting all the Indie lovers out there ***
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* NuHS we miss you! *
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