Various - Cathedral Classics Volume One

by Anthony Strutt

published: 22 / 4 / 2009

Label: Sonic Cathedral
Format: CD

Superb compilation that consists of tracks from the now hard-to-find first twelve 7 inch releases from Nu Gaze label, Sonic Cathedral.

Review

'Cathedral Classics Volume One' is a compilation album that consists of tracks from the first twelve 7 inch releases from Nu Gaze label, Sonic Cathedral. Everything on it came out between 2006 and 2008 and originally on limited edition heavyweight and mostly coloured vinyl, which is now hard to find or sold out. When I first knew Sonic Cathedral it was a London-based live club, but its owner/promoter Nathaniel Cramp decided to form a label too from the profits from the club. Both sides of the debut release for the label by the Tambourines open the album. 'Sally O' Gannon' is a fine example of trendy 60's influenced garage rock, and sounds like a combination of the mid 1960s pop of the Byrds and the Teenage Fanclub. 'Be Around' is in contrast a psychedelic number. Mark Gardener is a Shoegazing legend. He was the frontman with Ride, the first band to make Creation Records money, and to open the door nationwide to a scene that soon became a dirty word, but which is now celebrated with great respect. At the time that he released his song here, 'The Story of the Eye', for Sonic Cathedral, he was playing on acoustic guitar both tracks from his debut studio LP, 'These Beautiful Ghosts' and Ride classics, which still held up very well in their stripped down form. 'The Story of the Eye' was from that debut album, and here is remixed by the German electronic musician and producer Ulrich Schnauss , whom knows a thing or two about Shoegaze. It is a wonderful piece of ambient-flavoured guitar pop. American singer-songwriter Sarabeth Tucek's 'Something for You (Contino Remix)'is a surprisingly lush-sounding folk song. School of Seven Bells is the side project of Secret Machines frontman Benjamin Curtis and their track here, 'My Cabal', is remixed by ex-Cocteau Twin Robin Guthrie. It is a Nu Gaze mumber, but is heavily influenced by Monsoon's 'Ever So Lonely' single from 1982, which in turn was influenced by the Beatles' 'Revolver' album. Leicestershire-based band Kyte's two songs, 'Planet' and 'Secular Ventures', are keyboards-based and reminiscent of Coldplay. 'Secular Ventures', which has been remixed by Maps, to me sounds much more like a Maps number than a song by the band in question. Dean Wareham and Britta Phillips cover the 1968 classic number, 'White Horses'.It is a great song, but, even though it has been remixed here by ex-Spaceman 3 member Sonic Bom, the husband and wife team behind Luna don't bring anything new to it whatsoever. Miranda Lee Richards' Life Boat' has been remixed by Neil Halstead of Slowdive and Mojave. It is a 60s/70s-style folk number with touches of Slowdive added into its mix. Maps' debut 10 inch single 'To the Sky' is remixed by M83. It has an element of gospel and has been described quite rightly as a combination of Trembling Blue Stars and Slowdive. M83's 'We Own the Sky', which was the other side of this when it was released by Sonic Cathedral, is remixed in turn by M83 as a club anthem. Japancakes cover two My Bloody Valentine classics, 'Soon' and 'Touched'. Originally released to celebrate the My Bloody Valentine reunion dates, they don't compete with the originals at all, with only 'Touched' adding something a little bit different. Both sides of the Early Years double AA side, 'Like a Suicide'/The Computer Voice', are present. 'Suicide' is like an ambient mixture of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and Spacemen 3, while singer David Malkinson's vocals are reminiscent of those of David Byrne. 'The Computer Voice' is an electronica number with a Julian Cope-style vocal. Daniel Land and the Modern Painters end the album. 'Within the Boundaries' is a Slowdive-like number, while its B side, 'Benjamin's Room', has a lush pop sound. Here's to the next set of Classics...

Track Listing:-

1 The Tamborines- Sally O'Gannon
2 The Tamborines- Be Around
3 Mark Gardener- The Story Of The Eye (Ulrich Schnauss Mix)
4 Sarabeth Tucek- Something For You (Contino Mix)
5 School Of Seven Bells- My Cabal (Robin Guthrie Mix)
6 Kyte-Planet
7 Kyte- Secular Ventures (Maps Mix)
8 Dean & Britta- White Horses (Sonic Boom Mix)
9 Miranda Lee Richards- Life Boat (Neil Halstead Mix)
10 Maps- To The Sky (M83 Mix)
11 M83- We Own The Sky (Maps Mix)
12 Japancakes- Soon (James Rutledge Mix)
13 Japancakes- Touched (Ricardo Tobar Mix)
14 The Early Years- Like A Suicide
15 The Early Years- The Computer Voice
16 Daniel Land & The Modern Painters- Within The Boundaries
17 Daniel Land & The Modern Painters- Benjamin's Room