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███▓▓█▓▀ ▀▀▓█▓ ▀ ▄
██▓██ ▀█▓▄ ▀▀█
▓█▓▓█ Artist.....[ The Ruling Class ▀████▄█▓
██▓▀ Album......[ Tour De Force ▀▓██
▄ █▓█ █ Label......[ Shelflife Records █ █▓█ ▄
█▒█▓█▄▀ Catalog #..[ LIFE1005 ▀▄█▓█▒█
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▓█████▓▓█ █▓▓█████▓
▓█▀ ▀▀█▓█▒ Source.....[ CDEP ▒█▓█▀▀ ▀█▓
▓█▄ ▀▄ ██▓ Genre......[ Indie ▓██ ▄▀ ▄█▓
▓▓█▓▀ ██ Language...[ English ██ ▀▓█▓▓
▀ ▄████ Rip Date...[ 2009-02-24 ████▄ ▀
▄ ▀ ▓█▓ Store Date.[ 2008-00-00 ▓█▓ ▀ ▄
█▀▀ ▄▓█▀ Rip Tool...[ EAC ▀█▓▄ ▀▀█
▓█▄████▀ Encoder....[ LAME 3.97 -V2 --vbr-new ▀████▄█▓
▀█▓▀ Quality....[ 193 kbps AVG VBR 44.1/Joint Stereo ▀▓█▀
▄ █▓█▄▓█▓ Url........[ http://www.shelflife.com ▓█▓▄█▓█ ▄
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▓█▀ █▀█▓█▒ ▒█▓█▀█ ▀█▓
▀▀ ██▓ ▓██ ▀▀
█▓ 01 Sleeping Beauty 3:50 ▓█
█▓ 02 Flowers 3:46 ▓█
█▓ 03 If You Wonder 3:26 ▓█
█▓ 04 Marian Shrine 4:06 ▓█
█▓ ----- ▓█
█▓ 15:08 ▓█
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▀█▓█▀ █ ██▀█ ██▀▀ ██ █▄ █ ██▀█ ▀██▀ ██▀▀ ██▀▀ █ ▀█▓█▀
▓█▓█ ▀ ▓█▄▀ ▓█▀ ▓█ ▓█▀█ ▓█ █ ▓█ ▓█▀ -▀▀▀█ ▀ █▓█▓
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▀▄ █▓█ ▄ ▄ █▓█ ▄▀
█▒██ ██▒█
█░█▒ The few years that straddled the late 1980s and ▒█░█
█░█▒ early '90s have long been considered one of British ▒█░█
█░█▒ rock music's most vibrant periods - that moment ▒█░█
█░█▒ when the Stone Roses, Ride, My Bloody Valentine and ▒█░█
█░█▒ the like defied the notion that 'indie' was, by ▒█░█
█░█▒ definition, underground and underachieving. ▒█░█
█░█▒ Bolstered by unassailable self-confidence and ▒█░█
█░█▒ innovative sonic ideas, their albums became ▒█░█
█░█▒ generational touchstones, and are now not only ▒█░█
█░█▒ inextricably linked to the times in which they were ▒█░█
█░█▒ created, they're regarded as the precursors to the ▒█░█
█░█▒ cultural phenomenon that was Britpop. ▒█░█
█░█▒ ▒█░█
█░█▒ But that same period has also long been considered ▒█░█
█░█▒ one of music's great anti-climaxes, a dashed ▒█░█
█░█▒ opportunity. The Stone Roses disintegrated amidst ▒█░█
█░█▒ drugs, warring egos, and too much time and money ▒█░█
█░█▒ (as did Happy Mondays); My Bloody Valentine became ▒█░█
█░█▒ paralyzed by its pursuit of an indefinable ▒█░█
█░█▒ perfection; and countless others lost their ▒█░█
█░█▒ original, most potent vision to the tides of ▒█░█
█░█▒ fashion. It was, in fact, a moment concluded by ▒█░█
█░█▒ such a heartbreaking failure of collective will ▒█░█
█░█▒ that its music came to sound like a frozen remnant ▒█░█
█░█▒ of a lost age, never to be reexamined or pushed ▒█░█
█░█▒ forward. ▒█░█
█░█▒ ▒█░█
█░█▒ Until Tomas Kubowicz, that is. The Swedish ▒█░█
█░█▒ guitarist and songwriter was living in his native ▒█░█
█░█▒ Norrk÷ping when, years after it had first come and ▒█░█
█░█▒ gone, he heard this music for the first time. ▒█░█
█░█▒ "Sweden is, musically, quite Anglo-inspired; many ▒█░█
█░█▒ of my friends listened to this kind of music, and ▒█░█
█░█▒ that's the way I got hooked on it," he recalls. ▒█░█
█░█▒ "The Stone Roses was kind of an introduction - I ▒█░█
█░█▒ never had any high thoughts of their debut album ▒█░█
█░█▒ when I first listened to it, but when I picked up ▒█░█
█░█▒ the album again a couple years later and had a ▒█░█
█░█▒ listen, it totally exploded. It's a masterpiece. ▒█░█
█░█▒ I've never left them since." ▒█░█
█░█▒ ▒█░█
█░█▒ In 2005, Tomas relocated to Stockholm, where he met ▒█░█
█░█▒ bassist Anton Lindberg. Unable to find simpatico ▒█░█
█░█▒ bandmates after a year of searching, the pair moved ▒█░█
█░█▒ to London in summer of 2006. "We struggled quite ▒█░█
█░█▒ hard to find the right people," says Tomas. "The ▒█░█
█░█▒ music we had to offer was [perceived as] being a ▒█░█
█░█▒ bit uncool in London, which was more into ▒█░█
█░█▒ post-punk, thousands of sub-Libertines and Arctic ▒█░█
█░█▒ Monkey bands, and also the nu-rave scene was at its ▒█░█
█░█▒ peak. But I never was disheartened by it, and just ▒█░█
█░█▒ continued to write songs." ▒█░█
█░█▒ ▒█░█
█░█▒ Eventually, however, they found drummer Alfonso ▒█░█
█░█▒ Tammaro, and the newly solidified trio (with Tomas ▒█░█
█░█▒ also providing vocals) quickly made an impression ▒█░█
█░█▒ upon producer Mark Wallis, who has worked with the ▒█░█
█░█▒ Smiths, the La's, the Go-Betweens, and many others. ▒█░█
█░█▒ The fruits of the band's sessions with Mark make up ▒█░█
█░█▒ their official debut, Tour de Force, a ▒█░█
█░█▒ limited-edition CD/7-inch released by Shelflife ▒█░█
█░█▒ Records. ▒█░█
█░█▒ ▒█░█
█░█▒ While its influences are clear, Tour de Force ▒█░█
█░█▒ sounds surprisingly contemporary and singular in ▒█░█
█░█▒ its vision. At once dreamlike and kinetic, pastoral ▒█░█
█░█▒ and urban, it's a conception of modern psychedelic ▒█░█
█░█▒ pop as the Ruling Class' forebears intended - but ▒█░█
█░█▒ never quite got around to realizing. Tomas notes ▒█░█
█░█▒ that since the band's debut was recorded, "many ▒█░█
█░█▒ people think our sound is quite original and ▒█░█
█░█▒ fresh." ▒█░█
█░█▒ ▒█░█
█░█▒ Yet while Tour de Force marks the Ruling Class' ▒█░█
█░█▒ debut as a recording act, it's also a final ▒█░█
█░█▒ document of the band in that particular ▒█░█
█░█▒ manifestation. Eager to focus entirely on his ▒█░█
█░█▒ songwriting and guitar playing, Tomas surrendered ▒█░█
█░█▒ vocal duties to Jonathan Sutcliffe in December ▒█░█
█░█▒ 2007, also bringing on board rhythm guitarist ▒█░█
█░█▒ Andrew Needle. In the short time since then, the ▒█░█
█░█▒ band has moved forward quickly: Legendary London ▒█░█
█░█▒ indie label Fierce Panda - whose past discoveries ▒█░█
█░█▒ include Coldplay and Keane - is now managing the ▒█░█
█░█▒ band and will release a vinyl single on sub-label ▒█░█
█░█▒ Fandango in July. ▒█░█
█░█▒ ▒█░█
█░█▒ Until then, marvel at Tour de Force - a rebirth, ▒█░█
█░█▒ and a new way forward, for a sound whose time has ▒█░█
█░█▒ come again. ▒█░█
█░█▒ ▒█░█
█░█▒ Photograph by: Antonio Silva ò CD: 4 tracks, 7": 2 ▒█░█
█░█▒ tracks ▒█░█
█░█▒ ▒█░█
█░█▒ http://www.shelflife.com ▒█░█
█░█▒ http://www.therulingclass.net ▒█░█
█░█▒ http://www.myspace.com/therulingclassuk ▒█░█
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▄ ░▒▓█████████▓▒░ ASCii By AyL!cRO 2oo5 ░▒▓█████████▓▒░ ▄
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