A Bout De Heavenly: The Singles

Formed as they were from the lineup of C-86 pioneers Talulah Gosh, sometimes Heavenly dont get the same credit. They werent as groundbreaking, but their tunes stacked up just as well when put side by side. Over the course of their brief career, Heavenly created an impressive catalog of songs that are well overdue for reissue. A Bout de Heavenly remedies this glaring absence from the marketplace by collecting all the bands singles and the Atta Girl EP in one lovely package. It kicks off with the bands run of singles on Sarah Records, starting with 1990s double shot of brilliant indie pop -- the lilting I Fell in Love Last Night and the bouncy Over and Over -- that set the parameters of their sound quite well. The star-crossed love songs, the subtle sweetness of Amelia Fletchers vocals, the jangling and twang of Peter Momtchiloffs guitar, the rubbery punch of the bass and drums, all came together in perfect harmony. Less insistent than Talulah Gosh, but with similarly memorable melodies that sink in a little deeper thanks to the calmer, more confident approach of the music. Wrap My Arms Around Him is a highlight of their early recordings, a bubbly girl group song that transmits all the giddy rush of a crush into three minutes of eager-to-please indie pop. The 1991 single on K Records begins to show a tougher side of the band more in line with bands like the Wedding Present; A-side She Says features guitars that clang as much as twang and Fletchers vocals have more punch than previously shown. By the time of the Atta Girl EP, the band were capable of whipping up an almost shoegaze-y wall of guitars as on the title track or pogoing with wanton enthusiasm on P.U.N.K. Girl while incorporating the ideals of the burgeoning riot grrrl scene. The magical vocal interplay between Fletcher and new member Cathy Rogers was also in full flight by this time and the band was growing from a well-oiled twee pop machine into a band capable of much more, as their albums often showed. They even gleefully took on Brit-pop on their 1996 songs Trophy Girlfriend and Space Manatee -- and convincingly covered the Jams Art School for good measure -- but since they were just a ropey Sarah band, they never got a glance from the press. Heavenly fans knew better, and their incarnation as a powerful indie rock band was just as tunefully loveable as their early twee pop days. This collection stands as compelling proof of that fact and will hopefully awaken more interest in one of the most thoughtful, cheerfully romantic, and reliably hooky pop bands the early 90s had to offer. ~ Tim Sendra