Pearl

With this EP Chapterhouse fully took things to the heights, creating a stone-cold early nineties classic. Though "Pearl" is also pointlessly featured in an edit at the end, the full glory is here at the start -- this longer version did not in fact appear on Whirlpool, making it the one to hear. Borrowing a John Bonham sample for appropriate oomph and combining it with shimmering, beautiful guitar, Chapterhouse came up with what was about the best response to My Bloody Valentine's blissout dance classic "Soon." Guest vocals from Slowdive's Rachel Goswell added to the song's lovely flow. Possibly even more breathtaking, in terms of pristine melancholy, is "Come Heaven," for some unknown reason left off of the later Rownderbowt compilation. Its evocative feedback waves over acoustic strums and soft but propulsive drumming make it as much of a shoegaze classic. It bleeds into the final song, "In My Arms," a lighter and sweeter number with nice flanged acoustic guitar to recommend it. ~ Ned Raggett