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“The Everlasting Gobstopper”, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways. Well, before you even drop the virtual needle on the digital record, there is much to love, not least the fact that the press sheet’s “for fans of..” section includes such adventurous and iconic bands as Cocteau Twins, A.R. Kane, Massive Attack and Dif Juz. Always a good indicator. I love the fact that this single is a calling card for the release of their decades-long anticipated release Illuminated 1989 album. I love the fact that it has Robin Guthrie’s production fingerprints all over it.
And then, you get to the music, and it is everything that you hoped. That blend of shoegaze noise and drifting beauty creates a heavy ambient sound
, if that isn’t too much of an oxymoron. The shimmering guitars, the sense of psychedelia, the balance of nostalgic vibes, and forward-thinking joy still hit the mark after a thirty-year journey. It’s charming, chiming, cinematic, and sensual, a widescreen sound that works its magic through subtlety and suppleness rather than the bombast and bravado that most artists use to make themselves heard above the white noise of musical mediocrity.
“The Everlasting Gobstopper” is also an important reference point as a historical sonic document. Intended to be the band’s debut album until their then record label shelved it; this is the sound of a young band, under the tutelage of a more seasoned ear, finding their sound, a sound that would propel them through a long, lush, and illustrious career.
But, as important as the album is as a small chapter in the history of underground music, more than anything else, it is a gorgeous song and that, in all honesty, I all that really matters. If this is any indication of the whole album to follow, then this year will see the release of one hell of an album. I, for one, can’t wait.
