1989
Noah’s Barks pages covering things relating to the year 1989.
-
The Jesus and Mary Chain – “Automatic” (1989)
I recently went back to Automatic. It was pretty good! The Jesus and Mary Chain went full rock ‘n roll on Automatic, and that of course turned many people off. No more of the sugary pop that was on Psychocandy or Darklands, the Reid brothers are bad to the bone on this one. As usual… (read more)
-
Cranes – “Self-Non-Self”
It’s hard to tell whether or not I’m judging Self-Non-Self poorly because it’s different from the Cranes sound I love, or because I don’t think they’re good at this style. Let’s go with a little of both. The EP is primarily ’80s gothic rock, so the keyword is “dreary,” a monotony so powerful that I… (read more)
-
The Telescopes – “Taste” (1989)
Expecting Taste to be all shoegaze could seem honest mistake due to the melancholy, acoustic opener “And Let Me Drift Away.” However, immediately after, the band makes an immediate 180—the first sign of Taste‘s true punk aesthetic—and explodes into fast-paced noise rock. Emphasis on the rock. The ethereal sonic soundscapes commonly attributed to shoegaze aren’t… (read more)
-
Nirvana – “Bleach” (1989)
The sound of a band that hasn’t yet sharpened their strengths and reached their full potential, Bleach is Nirvana’s most “grunge” album; the influence of sludge metal and garage punk that defined the genre are very evident in this debut album. The band’s guitars are turned very low, making the riffs sound thick and lurching.… (read more)
-
Pixies – “Doolittle” (1989)
“Debaser,” “Tame,” “Wave of Mutilation,” “Here Comes Your Man,” “Monkey Gone to Heaven”—all good songs (especially “Debaser”), but not enough to make one ignore how mediocre the rest of the tracks are. Or maybe they are, because Doolittle is pretty well-received everywhere. I accept that I’m in the minority. And frankly, “Here Comes Your Man”… (read more)