Date: Tue, 22 Aug 1995 21:23:46 -0700 From: einexile the meek (einexile@NETCOM.COM) Subject: state of the label flamewar kickoff While my peeves and sense of beauty fight over the Tarnation record, let me say that I don't think this *is* necessarily the fall of 4AD. Scheer definitely seem hopeless, and the label is unquestionably becoming the slave of Ivo's country jones. (He *dies* have a country jones. Loves Emmylou Harris, for example.) I must respect 4AD for being one of the few labels at the moment that *does* have a "sound" and a direction and is tuned to original (if retro-ish) new styles. My disillusionment with the label comes more from what they have given up despite greatness and kept despite mediocrity. A little under two years ago, I considered 4AD to be at its second highest point, marked by brilliant releases from Insides, Spoonfed Hybrid, and The Glee Club and a performance well above and beyond the call of duty for Lush plus a DCD album which, despite its problems, had some actual songs on it for a change. Brendan Perry had played brilliantly in radio sessions. It was very exciting. At the same time and right after, some really irritating things happened, starting with the dropping of Ultra Vivid Scene, which remains my favorite-ever 4AD act. All three of the new rising stars were subsequently dumped: Insides, Spoonfed, and The Glee Club. (Thank God and Slowdive I was able to see them play live.) Since then it's been a little rocky, with impressive recoveries for both TWP and Throwing Muses as well as the welcome demise of Frank Black, but also a somewhat loser album from Belly and now the dropping of TWP. On one hand this is bad news. On the other hand, we're seeing a metamorphosis into something with more direction. Liqourice, Tarnation, Kendra Smith (I will be flamed for including her here) and Mojave fit together in a little group and range from fun to brilliant, and are all definitely interesting. Air Miami are promising. The Lisa Gerrard album is the first genuinely good DCD-related release in seven years. New Lush stuff should be interesting. Here is life or death for me: Can Warren Defever still write music? Can Ivo still write music and is he? What the hell is up with Scheer? Good God. I am more impressed with recent artwork than with anything coming out of v23 in years. Gentle Creatures, King, and University are all gorgeous. Listening Cap and the Belly singles looked very nice. So basically things are up in the air. I take back what I said about the death knell but boy do Scheer scare the daylights out of me... e