C92 (Clamshell Box)

Cherry Reds year-by-year look back at the British indie scene, expanding on the concept of NMEs seminal C86 cassette, continues with a three-disc collection of hits, obscurities, and in-betweens from 1992. By this point, artists were starting to release more music on CD than vinyl, and the rock underground was heavy on shoegaze, dream pop, and Nirvana-inspired alternative rock, while bands like the Auteurs and Dodgy that overtly channeled British rock from the 60s and 70s were pointing the way towards the Britpop scene that was about to flourish. The set opens with an early Radiohead tune (the original Drill EP version of "Prove Yourself"), and includes key singles by Ride ("Leave Them All Behind," a dismissal of the shoegaze scene) and the Charlatans (Billboard Modern Rock chart-topper "Weirdo"), as well as the Cranberries still-inescapable "Dreams." The chaotic punk blues of Gallon Drunk and the biting snarkiness of Sultans of Ping F.C. make for two of the compilations most erratic, hard-edged selections. On the opposite end of the pool, theres twee pop from White Town and Sarah Records acts like Secret Shine and the Harvest Ministers. The dreamier artists here include 4AD signee Swallow and Earwig (the group that became Insides), while the shoegaze-adjacent selections range from Lush and Catherine Wheel to intriguing little-knowns like the Suncharms and Sweet Jesus (whom Oasis opened for during their first gig). A few years removed from the peak of the Madchester scene, theres not much baggy or alternative dance crossover on this compilation, aside from Inspiral Carpets, Bang Bang Machine (the glorious "Geek Love," though it appears in edited form), and curiously enough, a one-off dance-pop single by Amelia Fletcher, recorded in 1988 and issued after the first Heavenly album. Other notable oddities include Greenhouses "Her Too" (what on earth is that glowing drone drowning out this zippy indie pop tune?) and Teenage Filmstars noisy, repetitive "Kiss Me," which is so abstract that it pushes the limits of what can be considered a pop song. As expected from Cherry Reds retrospective compilations, C92 has hits to draw listeners in and help provide broader context, along with several goodies that even ardent scenesters would have missed at the time. Plenty of these tracks are gems, and even the head-scratchers and faceless also-rans are interesting and worth finding out about. ~ Paul Simpson

チェリー・レッドによる鉄板コンピ〈C〉シリーズが、いよいよ92年に突入! バギー以降～ブリット・ポップ前夜という時代の変わり目においてUKシーンに残されたさまざまな音源がギュウギュウに詰め込まれています。ライドやラッシュ、レディオヘッドやブー・ラドリーズのような名前が行き交う様子も興味深いですが、誰もが忘れていそうなあれこれにこそ価値あり!
bounce (C)狛犬