Tuesday, 26 May 2020

From The Lions Mouth Re-upped

An assured, relatively loose follow-up to the fraught and frayed Jeopardy, From the Lion's Mouth entrenched the Sound's stature as no mere flash in the pan. It should have shot them directly between spots occupied by the like-minded Joy Division and Echo & the Bunnymen as post-punk legends, but the Fates had something else in mind, and so the quartet took their place right next to touring mates the Comsat Angels in the section marked "Deserved Better." With some semblance of a recording budget, the Sound went into the studio with talented producer Hugh Jones on board to accentuate the band's winning atmospherics. As a result, the sound is fuller, less pungent. And speaking of winning, the snake-charming opener "Winning" is like a dash of cold water in the faces of all the bands that were wallowing and withering away at the weeping well: "I was going to drown/Then I started swimming/I was going down/then I started winning." This, in a sense, exemplifies the point that the Sound were not mopes. They had their problems with life, but rather than just vent or escape from them, they confront them and ask questions and attempt to sort it all out. Most of the record has an effortless thrust to it, and only occasionally -- for maximum effect -- does the Sound whip out the heavy artillery. If "The Fire" sounds too bombastic and pummelling, listen closer. The bass is the lead instrument, the keyboards are just as prominent as the guitars, and it only sounds like chest beating compared to the rest of the songs. From the Lion's Mouth shifts, glides, winds, accelerates, and decelerates with all the grace and precision of an Olympic downhill skier. And what a great record it is.


Ripped from the Sound ….Plus box set to a Winning FLAC

The Sound; From The Lions Mouth …Plus

1.      Winning
2.      Sense Of Purpose
3.      Contact The Fact
4.      Skeletons
5.      Judgement
6.      Fatal Flaw
7.      Possession
8.      The Fire
9.      Silent Air
10.   New Dark Age
11.   Point Of No Return (B-Side)
12.   Hothouse (A-Side)
13.   Coldbeat (B-Side)
14.   New Dark Age [Live] (B-Side)
15.   Fatal Flaw (Peel Session16-11-81)
16.   Skeletons (Peel Session16-11-81)
17.   Hothouse (Peel Session16-11-81)
18.   New Dark Age (Peel Session16-11-81)

Follow the link for more from Adrian Borland / The Sound here

 

9 comments:

  1. A Great record indeed!
    I love Jeopardy... But this is my fave.
    I stilo remember the first listen many Yeats ago.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I remember my first time as well Fabio. Thanks for your comment

      Delete
  2. Admire your musical taste - great album thanks :) D

    ReplyDelete
  3. Could from the lions mouth be re-upped in future, please AJ.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. absolutely zenfly. Thanks for asking

      Delete
  4. Ever and ever amongst the Greats
    A little free download from Into Grey:
    https://intogrey.bandcamp.com/album/into-grey

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. An oldie from Sensorium has just been put on bandcamp for free download...
      https://sensoriumuk.bandcamp.com/album/jahazralah

      Delete
  5. Thank you AJ, just made my day.Stay safe

    ReplyDelete