Sound reads from the archives, all summer long. —Ed.
The currently active Scottish act Close Lobsters emerged in the guts of the 1980s as one of the earliest signings to Fire Records. Said label is also still in existence and having a boffo 2015, with part of their continued success stemming from due attention to back catalog. To elaborate, Firestation Towers: 1986-1989 is Fire’s expansive assemblage of Close Lobsters’ initial output, matching two full-lengths with a singles collection. Copies of the Record Store Day 3LP remain available and the CD edition is out September 18th.
Close Lobsters formed in 1985 with Andrew Burnett on vocals, Tom Donnelly and Graeme Wilmington on guitars, Andrew’s brother Robert on bass, and Stewart McFayden on drums. The next year they earned a spot on C86, the movement-defining comp issued by the weekly UK periodical New Musical Express.
“Firestation Towers” is the track, a sub-two minute spurt of urgent jangle and slightly lethargic voice landing squarely within the parameters of what constitutes the C86 sound. Quickly signed to Fire, the two sides of their debut ’86 single, “Going to Heaven to see if it Rains” and “Boys and Girls,” possessed a level of energy certain indie pop associates lacked and evidenced substantial writing ability. 1987 was a fertile period. The “Never Seen Before” EP’s title cut sports Postcard-style chime swagger with complementary bouncing bass notes and on 12-inch includes “Firestation Towers” and “Wide Waterways,” the latter a shrewd cover of a song by Peter Perrett’s Velvet Underground-infused pre-Only Ones band England’s Glory.
A deal with Enigma broadened their fan base through US college radio. First album Foxheads Stalk this Land opens with the copious string glisten, lively bass, lithe drumming, and enhancing brogue of “Just Too Bloody Stupid,” while “Sewer Pipe Dream” is vibrantly poppy as the two guitar attack pays dividends. From there, “I Kiss the Flower in Bloom” offers glistening mid-tempo melodicism, its aura contrasting with the torrid echo-laden bottom end and hyperactive riffing of “Pathetique,” a number moderately reminiscent of C86 cohorts The Wedding Present.
Foxheads Stalk this Land is loaded with exemplary jangle poppers, and “A Prophecy” additionally chalks up some of Andrew’s finest singing. “In Spite of These Times” soars via emphatic strumming and well-calibrated emotion at the mic as the sunshiny “Foxheads” and the melody-rich “Pimps” (also the b-side to “Never Seen Before”) deftly extend the general template. “I Take Bribes” resides between them, its spirited thread of chords striking the ear as similar to fellow C86-ers The Wolfhounds.
From a contemporary vantage point Close Lobsters’ scenario might seem a tad restrictive, but their thrust was novel circa ’87 and it still goes down a storm today. The eight minute “Mother of God” closes the LP on a high note, exhibiting the sort of catchy vigor, amp raucousness, and rhythmic stomp borrowed by indie rockers on both sides of the pond.
1987 also brought the “Let’s Make Some Plans” 12-inch, the increased dynamism of the title track combined with “In Spite of These Times” and the sturdy jangling of “Get What They Deserve,” as ’88 produced yet another EP, grouping the rising assurance of title selection “What is there to Smile About?” with “Let’s Make Some Plans” and four more.
“Loopholes” presents the dual axe motif at its best and wields a swell false ending, “From This Day On” stretches beyond typical single length with emotional tug worthy of a coming-of-age film’s end-credits crawl, “Skyscrapers of St. Marin” is a rhythm section highlight blending musical brightness and biting lyrics, and “Don’t Worry” (which spent time under the alternate title “Violently Pretty Face”) subtly integrates a ‘60s touch.
“What is there to Smile About?” might be the strongest concentrated batch of creativity in Close Lobsters’ discography, though second LP Headache Rhetoric made improvements on its predecessor. Immediately benefiting from heightened production values (courtesy of Phil Vinall, later to oversee Radiohead and Elastica), opener “Lovely Little Swan” is vivid but not slick, the guitars reliably in synch as heft and propulsion elevate the whole.
“Gunpowderkeg” flaunts growing instrumental acumen without losing a handle on indie pop’s intrinsic lack of the grandiose, and while the opening distortion ripples of “Nature Thing” momentarily align with fledgling shoegaze, in short order the situation becomes especially hooky and lengthens to a glorious five minutes.
“My Days Are Numbered” freshly mingles common elements; zesty chiming, boisterous rhythm, a firm melodic grip, and precise execution. It’s undeniably a formula, yet inspired collectivity avoids staleness as the brisk glide of “Gutache” is kept earthbound by Robert’s bass and concluded with tidy rave-up. Headache Rhetoric is somewhat darker overall, but “Got Apprehension” is one of the prettiest achievements in the band’s oeuvre in no small part due to Andrew’s vocals.
However, Headache Rhetoric’s biggest development is a rise in proficiency. “Gulp” is a clinic in everything worthwhile about UK guitar-pop with a lead-out recalling prime ‘70s power-pop, and “Words on Power” features superb songwriting and performance, Robert’s bass in top form. The “Skyscrapers” found here is distinct from the version on the prior EP, and its sweet/bitter tactic is nicely carried over to the finale “Knee Trembler.”
Close Lobsters managed one more EP before taking a two-decade-plus hiatus, “Nature Thing” joined on 12-inch and CDEP by “Hey Hey My My (Into the Black),” Neil Young’s original smartly adapted to their sound and scene (“this is the story of Nikki Sudden”) and given a little surf twang, and “Paper Thin Motel,” which adjusts Leonard Cohen to the indie pop zone but retains necessary bits from the source. A solid live rendering of “Never Seen Before (Live)” is added for balance.
Materializing as a compact disc in 2009, Forever Until Victory! The Singles Collection gathers all the EP action detailed above and corrals “Pathetik Trivia,” later reworked/improved as Foxhead’s “Pathetique,” for good measure. In indie pop terms these 19 songs are basically indispensable; commencing with the gem of “Going to Heaven to see if it Rains” and culminating on vinyl with “Paper Thin Hotel” and on CD with the live “Never Seen Before” (the extra five tunes figure on the 3LP’s download), it unfolds as a grand career overview. The 20 cuts evenly comprising the other two albums aren’t far behind.
Close Lobsters rekindled their thing in 2012 and released the “Kunstwerk in Spacetime” EP last year on the Shelflife imprint. It’s a good one, but Firestation Towers: 1986-1989 is the place to start. Its guitar-pop narrative has aged extremely well.
Foxheads Stalk this Land
B+
Headache Rhetoric
A-
Forever Until Victory! The Singles Collection
A
GRADED ON A CURVE:
A
