Illuminated 1989

Liberated 33 years after it was shelved, this is the first true first album by the Veldt, soul-powered North Carolinians who took inspiration from post-punk and dream pop and landed on the heavier end of the shoegaze spectrum. In 1989, signed to major-label Capitol through their affiliation with home-state indie Mammoth, the Veldt recorded the material with Cocteau Twins supportive Robin Guthrie at his bands September Sound studio. The following January, Mammoth advertised the Veldts forthcoming Marigolds, but by its promised release date that May, Marigolds had been put on ice as a consequence of a shake-up at Capitol. Over half of the songs would be re-recorded for the bands like-titled 1992 EP and 1994 album for Mercury -- another major looking in the wrong place for their Living Colour or Lenny Kravitz -- and others have been brought back to life over the ensuing decades. Illuminated 1989 documents the Veldt in full creative bloom years before their first EP saw release. For all the Cocteaus-like echoing shimmer in the twin Chavis brothers guitars, these charged songs of affection, desire, and determination go straight to the heart with deep emotional resonance. Even then, Daniel Chavis was a strong and distinctive frontman, as nuanced and melodic in his wide-eyed belting as he is when composed emotions are necessary. To the credit of Guthrie (still a friend and an associate, he remastered the album for its 2023 release), he presents Chavis vocals as the focal point rather than as a mere sound layer, and his and Lincoln Fongs programmed rhythms bolster Marvin Levis live drums without clogging up the songs. The bursting "C.C.C.P.," revved-up "Shallow by Shallow," hot-blooded "Heather," soaring/stabbing "Everlasting Gobstopper," and drifting "Aurora Borealis" (featuring Elizabeth Fraser in the background) shine particularly bright among the unearthed gems. The only song that seems an ill fit is "Git Up," an uncharacteristically straightforward rocker that wouldnt have been out of place on the Pump Up the Volume soundtrack. Illuminated 1989 had -- and has -- more to offer than heaps of the albums released and revered in 1990. ~ Andy Kellman