Lush - Chorus Box Set 4AD

Lush – Chorus Box Set 4AD

 

It feels like almost every 90s indie band has re-formed to play live or release new material in the last few years. Some of these reformations have felt so unnecessary that I suspect that even the band’s family members would struggle to muster enthusiasm. On the other hand, the recent news of Lush’s reformation was a welcome one, not only that, it feels vital for them to come back. After the tragic death of Chris Acland in 1996, Lush split straight away. There was a feeling of unfinished business as the band were at the height of their success and making music as good as they ever had. Almost 20 years later, the return of Lush feels like the return of an old friend you hadn’t realised you missed so much, but you’re glad to have back in your life.

 

Chorus contains almost everything Lush released and is a dream for Lush fans. Over five discs we get to relive the brief seven years that made Lush one of the most exciting bands to follow. Lush were one of the most underrated bands of the 90s. They had decent-sized following but it wasn’t equal with the treatment they got in the music press. Looking back at old NME or Melody Maker albums lists they only had one low-ranking appearance of their EP collection, Gala, on the NME’s list in 1990, but nothing after. In a recent interview, lead singer Miki Berenyi said she thought they weren’t taken seriously as songwriters. This box should correct that misconception.

 

On Chorus‘s first disc there is the whole of Gala, which compiles their early EPs (all great 90s shoegaze bands have one of these compilations). Gala works well as an album and is actually a slightly stronger release than their first full length album, Spooky. Gala’s highlights include their debut single ‘Sweetness and Light’, which sounds like something The Sundays might have released if they’d listened to more goth music. ‘De-Luxe’ remains one of the best singles of the 90s with its big drums and unexpected chord progression. Lush’s cover of ABBA’s excellent ‘Hey Hey Helen’ is as entertaining as ever. Lush’s mini album, Scar, from 1989 makes up the second half of Gala and sounds full of possibilities. ‘Thoughtforms’ and ‘Scarlet’ illustrate their strength as songwriters. ‘Etherial’ hints at the lighter direction they moved towards at the end of their career. Disc one’s bonus songs feature three different Radio One sessions. These sessions reveal Lush’s tight live sound. The harmonies between Miki Berenyi and Emma Anderson are one of the most appealing and identifiable traits of the group.

 

 

Spooky is the focus of disc two. Spooky was produced by Robin Guthrie from the mighty Cocteau Twins, and it shows. Anderson herself once said the album had been ‘Robin Guthrified.’ Accusations that Spooky didn’t live up to those early EPs are fair, though it’s still a strong record. The hazy sheen of the layered production makes some of the songs blend into each other, but there are still standouts that reveal themselves after several listens. ‘Nothing Natural’ has a hypnotic bassline and soaring outro that ends  too soon. ‘Tiny Smiles’ has trademark chord changes that made their songwriting so satisfying. The most instant moment on Spooky is ‘For Love’, which for me is the best song Lush ever did. It glides effortlessly into the chorus with Berenyi singing, “This is so real, it’s what I feel, I look in your eyes and lose myself” — this is one of the most stunning moments in music. Elsewhere ‘Superblast!’ picks up the pace with its addictive tempo changes and ‘Laura’ contains one of the most catchy solos of the shoegaze era. Spooky’s final song ‘Monochrome’ is an emotional end to the album (a formula they would stick to for their next two albums). The bonus material on the second disc is a collection of really strong B-sides. ‘Astronaut’ is one of their prettiest and most understated melodies. Their cover of ‘Outdoor Miner’ by Wire isn’t as perfect as the original, but it comes close; the gorgeous melody of the song suits their harmonies perfectly.

 

 

I’ve always had a soft spot for commercial suicide albums and Split could well be considered one of them. The catchiest song on Split and biggest chance of a hit was the fierce lead single, ‘Hypocrite’, which is amazing from its bass line introduction onwards. Berenyi spells out that she’s not messing around, “You hypocrite, don’t talk to me, ‘Cause you’re not fit to know me”. On the same day ‘Hypocrite’ was released, they also put out the devastating seven minute epic, ‘Desire Lines’. A defeated sounding Berenyi sings as the Maurice Deebank-era Felt guitar plays along slowly, building the atmospherics that lead to an intense climax. The two singles represent Split well but commercially it was a risk that sadly didn’t pay off. Split begins with ‘Light From a Dead Star’ which starts as an eerie lullaby before quickly disappearing just as you want to be taken along with it. It’s a classic example of a song that should be at least double its length. The way the album goes into ‘Kiss Chase’ is thrilling. Split is a very dark record, the extremely poppy, ‘Lovelife’ lets some of the light back in and would have made a perfect third single. The gorgeous ‘When I Die’ is the most heartbreaking song Lush released as Berenyi sings, “Curse the English day, for what it forces us to say, banish all the pain, ’cause when I die, die, I’ll see you again”. The beautiful strings acting as her comfort. It’s the most vulnerable she ever sounded.

 

Split is a much more cohesive album than Spooky. It’s the sound of Lush refining their sound. They sound more confident as musicians and Berenyi’s voice is often clearer in the mix than before. It’s a heartbreak album that does its best to console but can’t hide the sadness that’s under the surface. Not only is Split Lush’s masterpiece, it’s one of the best albums of the 90s. It didn’t sell as well as Spooky but its appeal is so much stronger, more than 20 years on. The bonus material contains further B-sides of  a very high standard. The woozy, ‘White Wood’ and beautiful ‘Girl’s World’ show what a creative roll Lush were on at this stage and what strong musicians they’d become. Another inspired cover comes with their version of The Gist’s ‘Love at First Sight’. It improves on the original and makes me wish Lush had indulged their dub influences more, similarly to the way The Boo Radleys did on Giant Steps.

 

Lush were accused of selling out with their final album, Lovelife, which is the focus of disc four. Singles such as the hard-to-resist pop of ‘Single Girl’ and ‘500’ are the most commercial songs Lush released. Add in a cameo from Jarvis Cocker on the bitter and brilliant ‘Ciao!’ and it might be a valid point. They may have just felt like writing songs that demanded attention after the commercial failure of Split. No matter their motivation, this is a much stronger album than history may reveal. There are different sides to Lush on display throughout Lovelife, which is something they always did well. The second single, ‘Ladykillers’, is a dark tale of previous boyfriends and it is full of hooks. One of the strengths of Berenyi as a lead singer is that she can switch her tone from song to song. The same angelic voice that made ‘For Love’ alluring, here is full of attitude and takes no prisoners, “I’m as human as the next girl, I like a bit of flattery, but I don’t need your practiced lines, your school of charm mentality so, save your breath for someone else and credit me with something more”. ‘Papasan’, ‘Tralala’ and ‘The Childcatcher’ are as dark as anything on Split. Another tender closing song comes with ‘Olympia’ which seems even more poignant as it was the last song on any of their albums and ends with the lines “And now, time to switch off”. Lovelife is a hugely enjoyable record with a self-explanatory album title. Heartbreak and relationships came up on previous albums, but on Lovelife it sounds like they were having more fun with it. It complements Split nicely and has aged better than many of the contemporary albums that placed ahead of it in the magazine end-of-year lists in 1996. Demos fill up the bonus material here, and these offer great insight into their recording process.

 

 

The final disc of Chorus focuses on the B-sides to the Lovelife singles, which were released as the international compilation Topolino. It’s easily the weakest of the five discs as, for the first time in their career, some of the songs sound throwaway. The final disc is somewhat taken up by acoustic songs that don’t make much of an impression (‘Matador’, ‘Outside World’, ‘Cul De Sac’). There is still plenty to love here. ‘Ex’ is playful and continues the relationship theme of Lovelife; its New Order-style synths are addictive. ‘Shut Up’ and ‘Half and Half’ are as strong as their best ballads. ‘Plums and Oranges’ brings back dub influences and makes me wonder where they would have gone if they had continued. ‘Sweetie’ is simple and has a beautiful melody that sounds effortless. Covers of The Rubinoos (‘I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend’), Magnetic Fields (‘I Have The Moon’) and another Wire song (‘Mannequin’) again show their excellent and eclectic tastes. Chorus ends with their cover of ‘Rupert the Bear’ which is too much fun. Not many groups could pull off a cover like this with so much style.

 

The strength of the material and lack of filler  on Chorus is impressive. On ‘Olympia’ Berenyi asks, “And in the aftermath of pain, can the balance be regained? can we ever be the same?”. It’s a fitting line given the abrupt dissolution of the group after Acland’s death. With news of live dates next year and a brand new EP, the Chorus box set isn’t just a reminder of what a special band Lush were: it’s a chance to redress the balance after many years of not getting the attention they deserved.  Chorus documents the development of Lush’s sound and celebrates what they achieved.

 

This is the perfect time to reconnect with Lush, especially since their  influence is noticeable on some of the best modern shoegaze artists (Asobi Seksu, Tamryn and School of Seven Bells). When the EP comes next spring, let’s hope the critics find room for them in their end-of-year lists this time round.

 

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