The
reissues reviews:
Wonderful
scans of some reviews on NME and Melody Maker (RIP).
Kind contribution
of Chris Quinn.
Striving for the lazy
perfection REVIEW NME
Striving for the lazy
perfection REVIEW NME
Reviews from www.allmusic.com
Lyceum
Review by Dean
Carlson
Suddenly infused
with a spirit of permanence and likely sensing a more hostile market to come,
Sarah Records looked to the Orchids for the label's first full-length release.
The band's inoffensive jangle pop roots and their avoidance of difficult timing
schemes provided hardcore indie fans with something that was at once
comfortable and skilled; in fact, Lyceum could have been a lush Teenage Fanclub
record if it hadn't focused so much on mid-'80s Johnny Marr-isms. Intelligence
comes at a price, though, and it would often drown out any possibility of a
blossoming personality. The Orchids were taut but sometimes indistinguishable,
smart but often unaware how easily they could, and would, drop into leaden
simplicity, such as in the deliberate, sprawling, speckled verses and choruses
of unsuccessfully subdued tracks like "Carrole-Anne."
Epicurean: A
soundtrack
Review by Jason
Ankeny
Epicurean: A
Soundtrack compiles highlights from the slew of singles and EPs the Orchids
recorded for the legendary Sarah label between mid-1988 and late 1990, each a
singularly exquisite grace note from a group that, barring a subsequent
re-release and re-evaluation of their mostly out of print catalog, seems
destined to suffer as perhaps the great lost pop band of their era. The title
derives from the enclosed quote, "the philosophy of Epicureans taught that
the highest good is temporal happiness which is to be achieved by practice of
virtues," in itself as apt a description of great pop music as any ever
encountered; the virtues the Orchids practice are honesty, subtlety, and
beauty, all manifested in their most classic melodies and achingly heartfelt
vocals. Without losing sight of their trademark jangle-pop shimmer, the band
covers an enormous stretch of stylistic ground over the collection's 20 cuts,
shifting effortlessly from the soulful uplift of the opening
"Peaches" to the string-tempered melancholy of "Blue Light"
to the pre-Manchester club-psychedelia of "Something for the
Longing."
Review by Jason
Ankeny
When indie-pop
fans speak of the fabled Sarah label and its roster, it seems that the Orchids
are rarely afforded the same hushed, reverential tones recieved by the likes of
the Field Mice or Heavenly, which is a great shame - the Orchids were one of
the finest bands Sarah ever produced, and their masterpiece Striving for the
Lazy Perfection is as good as anything in the label's storied catalog.
Encompassing everything from dream-pop to trip-hop, it's certainly a product of
its time and place, yet it also possesses a certain timeless quality - though
seemingly incompatible ingredients, the album's shimmering guitars, soulful
backing vocals (courtesy of Pauline Hynds) and programmed beats add up to
something unique and compelling. Moreover, while tracks like "Welcome to
My Curious Heart," "A Living Ken and Barbie" and
"Lovechild" are so dissimilar in style and sensibility as to sound
almost like the work of three different bands, Striving for the Lazy Perfection
is never less than the sum of its parts, held together instead by the scope of
its ambition and the uniformity of its excellence. Highly recommended.
From: DDBAN203G@UNIVERSITY-CENTRAL-ENGLAND.AC.UK
orchids - best
band in the world!
This week's record
review:
The Orchids -
Striving For The Lazy Perfection
----------------------------------------------
Always a good week
when your favourite band releases a new record, its a great week when that
record is as good as this. The best record ever recorded, from the best band in
the world, probably. Its stronger than Unholy Soul, yet builds on that good yet
sometimes too restrained LP. The Orchids use technology, and use it as it is
supposed to be used. To enhance, to improve the traditional g/b/d combo. Yet
this is not hardcore, or industrial if thats what you think i mean but
brilliant guitar pop augumented by rave culture and neato stuff.
Its the best record
ever recorded, until the next one.
(***)
