Various - Never Lose That Feeling Volume 2

  by Anthony Strutt

published: 31 / 10 / 2006

---

Review

'Never Lose That Feeling Volume 2' is a second compilation from London-based shoegazing label and club night Club AC30. While its predecessor,'Volume 1' was an album of classics by bands from the late 80's and early 90's shoegazing era such as Ride and Pale Saints, 'Volume 2' on the other hand features cover versions of bands from that time by contemporary artists. I don't consider all of the bands that are covered here as shoegazers but they were from the same period of time. Only one song, 'Sunbathing', isn't a cover but that is by Sing-Sing which features ex- Lush guitarist Emma Anderson whom is a regular Club AC30 DJ now. Thw black-covered CD opens with Nashville duo Hammock's take on 'Black Metallic' by the Catherine Wheel, whom were loud and doomy and not really shoegazing at all, but came out with some true classics before going harder and becoming more metal in sound. Hammock's version of 'Black Metallic' is drenched in feedback, but is also totally heartwarming and they give an absolutely class delivery of a great tune. Sleepless' version of 'Shallow' is another Catherine Wheel track, and, with a strong vocal from singer Jon Thompson, sounds more shoegazing in tone than Hammock's contribution. Piney Gir's 'I Want to Touch You Again' was also originally by the Wheel, and, with a synth-based beat, is less grungy than the original. Madrid cover Spiritualized with 'All of My Tears'. It'is very slow and very trippy in a druggy way. Fiel Garvie provide a heavy violin-based version of the Velvet Underground-obsessed Galaxie 500's 'Blue Thunder'. Singer Anne Reekie's vocals are prominent at the start, but eventually a heavy distorted guitar becomes dominant. Japanese duo Hartfield provide a great dance-orientated cover of my Bloody Valentine's 'Soon'. Singer Taku sounds like Mazzy Star's Hope Sandoval in an angry mood or Isabelle Ribas of Drugstore. Los Angeles band the Swirlpool's contribution is a distorted, feedback-driven and inaudible version of another My Bloody Valentine song, 'When You Sleep', while singer and mainman Spoon's vocals recall those of Jim Reid in the early Jesus and Mary Chain. Németh/Siewert also provide with 'No More Sorry' a MBV cover. It is more electronic in tone than the original and features a vocal from Martin Siewert that recalls Jarvis Cocker and Stu Staples from Tindersticks in a story telling mood. Destroy All Monsters' deliver the only Slowdive cover here, 'Souvlaki Space Station', which was an instrumental from their second album, 'Souvlaki', and which sounds as magical as the original.'Sunbathed', the Sing-Sing song and only non cover, sounds light and very twee in comparison. Exileinside cover Chapterhouse's 'Pearl', but it comes over sounding more like a Depeche Mode cover. Britta Phillips provides a hypnotic version of Spacemen 3's 'How You Satisfy Me' which sounds like something which pre- Mazzy Star band, Opal, may have recorded. 'Today' by the Imaginary Boy is meanwhile an old Ride track, which sounds trippy, but is nowhere as strong as the classic original. Paula Kelley takes on Ride's 'Vapour Trail'. The original makes you dizzy in its mind-bending grooves, but she has stripped it down to a folk number. Delaware meanwhile cover Kelley's old band the Drop Nineteens with 'Below the Sea', who were never really shoegazers, more lightweight grungers on Hut Records. This is quite trippy, recollecting the Beatles 'Revolver'. It ends with 'Winona'. another Drop Nineteens cover by the Viet Cong Blues Project, which is more a rock number than a shoegazing track before eventually developing a mid-70's hippy-based snooze sound.

Track Listing:-

1 Hammock- Black Metallic
2 Sleepless- Shallow
3 Piney Gir- I Want To Touch You
4 Madrid- All Of My Tears
5 Fiel Garvie- Blue Thunder
6 Hartfield- Soon
7 The Swirlpool- When You Sleep
8 Németh / Siewert- No More Sorry
9 Destroyalldreamers- Souvlaki Space Station
10 Sing-Sing- Sunbathing
11 Exileinside- Pearl
12 Britta Phillips- How You Satisfy Me
13 The Imaginary Boy- Today
14 Paula Kelley- Vapour Trail
15 Below The Sea- Delaware
16 Viet Cong Blues Project- Winona

Label Links:-

http://store.clubac30.com/
https://www.facebook.com/clubac30
https://twitter.com/clubac30