The Wolfgang Press (Michael Allen, Mark Cox and Andrew
Gray) were one of 4AD’s most enduring bands, spending the entirety of their
career (more than twelve years) with the influential British indie label set up
by Ivo Watts Russell back in 1980. Even before they formed the Wolfgang Press
in 1983, Cox and Allen had released material on the label; first as Rema Rema
(with future Ant-person Marco Pirroni), and then with Mass. (Prior to joining
the Wolfgang Press, Gray had also been involved with 4AD, releasing three
singles on the label with In Camera.)
The story of the Wolfgang Press is a familiar one. They
were a talented alternative band with a distinctive, multifaceted vision: over
the course of five studio albums, their sound encompassed everything from dark,
somewhat difficult noise to orchestrally enhanced art-angst to idiosyncratic
electronic funk-soul hybrids that were well received on the alternative
dancefloor. The group garnered critical acclaim, flirted with mainstream success
and soldiered on until the mid-‘90s, only to end up as a footnote in alt. rock
history, coming up in the context of questions like “Whatever happened to that
4AD band the Wolfgang Press?”
By the time of 1986’s Standing Up Straight, the Wolfgang Press had started to explore
more expansive, orchestral and industrial textures. While "Hammer the
Halo" and "Rotten Fodder" in particular stand out as two of the
group's most aggressive efforts, the intensity level remains high throughout. “I
Am the Crime”, an austere, melancholic number that has much in common with the
kind of doomy, dark melodic sound that the 4AD label is perhaps best known for.
Indeed, songs like this would reinforce the reductive, erroneous categorisation
of the Wolfgang Press as a Goth band. On “I Am the Crime”, Allen’s deep vocals
put listeners in mind of Nick Cave, while Elizabeth Fraser makes an appearance,
albeit in a more recognisable vocal mode.
A challenging and even punishing album, but a rewarding
one as well.
Ripped to MP3
The Wolfgang Press; Standing Up Straight
1. Dig
A Hole
2. My
Life
3. Hammer
The Halo
4. Bless
My Brother
5. Fire
Fly
6. Ghost
7. Rotten
Fodder
8. Forty
Days, Thirty Nights
9. I
Am The Crime
another excellent write-up. really liked them especially this lp and the ep's either side of it, chronologically.
ReplyDeletehard to categorize. very interesting bass playing, for sure.
Definitely a group that defies any categorisation. Rising out of the ashes of their previous two noise-incarnations, Rema-Rema and then Mass TWP's early works are to some extent connected to these groups. If I can chose my personal favourite then "Standing Up Straight" is just the one - sentimental and brutal at the same time this album is so rich with emotional impact that it is not recommended for the heart-broken. Its closing number "I Am the Crime" (worth a second mention for Liz Fraser guesting on vocals), undoubtedly sounds like the truest end of the world everytime I put it on.
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