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| A1 | Red Cinders in the Sand | | 5:41 | | A2 | Song Without an Ending | | 4:35 | | A3 | Time (Again) For the Golden Sunset | | 3:51 | | A4 | Icing Up | | 7:35 | | B1 | (Like A) Sun Rising Through My Garden | | 5:01 | | B2 | Out of Control | | 2:01 | | B3 | Bugle Boy | | 2:27 | | B4 | Delirious | | 3:33 | | B5 | The River Flows East in Spring | | 3:33 | | B6 | Another Boy Drowning | | 5:53 |
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boydblake
Vinyl
[Rating22815266]
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Sounds exactly like you'd expect an early Matt Johnson record on 4AD to sound, with atmospherics trumping groove. Lyrically he's where he always was and likely forever will be - on the outside looking in and not liking what he sees, though still he can't quite give up hope for some real human connection. This reminds me of some of the work of one of his better selling followers, Trent Reznor. Unfortunately Burning Blue Soul's sound most closely resembles the meanderings heard on the pretty crap discs that NIN would put out between their primary work: Halo 23 1/2 - The Backwards Grindcore Edition, that stuff. I could see 4AD, Cocteau Twins fans and hardcore The The heads digging this, but not a whole lot of other listeners. |
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MH1000
[Rating2583927]
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This album was a bit of a chore to sit through I recall. Matt Johnson is so negative about everything that he's almost going in reverse, and lyrically this does get on your nerves a bit. At least MJ is dramatic in his negativity and makes them interesting; it’s just the continued gloom that’s a bit challenging. What I did like on here though was the instrumental at the start of the album, he really did do good atmospheric moody music.
There was a rare version of this album with the cover in the same style as the cover on 13th Floor Elevators' Psychedelic Sounds Of album, I saw it going for £60 once. I never had too much money, so I had to settle for the cover of him in the leather jacket looking all cool and moody. |
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astradyne2
Vinyl
[Rating541201]
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For legal reasons, Johnson had to release this under his own name rather than as The The. This is the type of album My Life in the Bush of Ghosts got most of the attention for at the time. But rather than global and tribal themes (for the most part), Matt sticks to personal themes of young adult pain and sudden awareness, dressed up in highly uncommercial fashion, with help from Wire's Lewis and Gilbert. Challenging but unfailingly artistic, this is the debut more bedroom recording artists should produce, before pandering to the suits in the record industry. The general sound resembles the work of German experimentalists Can, especially on the highly percussive tracks. Other than Matt's plaintive lyrics/delivery, this album bears little resemblance to the more (relatively) accessible, pop-friendly sounds of Soul Mining, Infected, or Dusk. In spots, Matt's vocals are too far down in the mix, especially on "Song Without an Ending."
But for all the unique textures, Matt's lyrics are already in full-flower here. In fact, they're not a whole lot different from those on The The's Soul Mining album that appeared two years later. "Bugle Boy" is a harsh electric strum (and nothing more) over which he segues from political observation into trying to figure out women. Closing track "Another Boy Drowning" is another wonderful, percussion-free melody that seems amazingly depressing, yet somehow invigorates.
Elsewhere, the album is dotted with ambient instrumentals, reminiscent of some of the darker sounds from Another Green World. One of these bits steers right into a full-blown Eastern chant ("The River Flows East in Spring"). So musically, this is worlds different than Soul Mining. No pleasant accordion or piano solos on this one. |
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Mediocre: but a few (very) good songs | | |
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rym
