Ultra Vivid Scene

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Ultra Vivid Scene

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The only one of UVS' three albums to receive, as far as I know, no attention whatsoever. But one of the most interesting, unusual, and marvellous albums of the late eighties. Unlike anything else being done at the time or since. Painfully overlooked and underappreciated. The sound is an utterly unique collage of styles, but the influence of noise rock (velvet underground, jesus and mary chain)and arty synth-rock (joy division, early new order)is certainly there. If UVS weren't completely forgotten in the music world, I'd be tempted to insist that they strongly influenced later groups. Yo La Tengo, especially in their marvellous album "Painful", often seem to be channelling UVS, and I find it impossible to believe that Spiritualized's "Ladies and Gentlemen we are floating in space" wasn't extracted directly from the third UVS album "Rev". Of the three albums, this one is the least refined, least poppy, and the most innovative and interesting. This forgotten album definitely deserves a second chance.

This debut album by Ultra Vivid scene is a collection of drum machine based guitar songs written, engineered & produced entirely by a bedroom artist trying to find his voice. If that doesn't turn you off, & you have time to persevere with the songs on this album, you just may be one of the few who discover the gems buried in it. UVS was fortunate enough to be signed to the 4AD label to become siblings to luminaries, the likes of The Cocteau twins & Dead Can; however their genius didn't rub off on these songs. This is by no stretch a solid album, nor is it particularly innovative, trying on styles as varied as the campy side of Velvet underground to more contemporary artists such as the Jesus & Mary chain & whispery vocals, the likes of Elliot Smith in the search for UVS. However, some good, even great songs were written in the process. `Crash', a New York style pop song with slidy guitars & interesting pulsy, gated keyboard is a definite standout, as is `Nausea', probably the track most honest & indicative of where UVS could go with their own style. `Mercy seat', `Lynne Marie #1' & `This isn't real' are also very good tracks given a little time, & once you get through oh so mediocre tracks such as `Whore of God', `Dream of love' & `Kiss and a slap', you come to `How did it feel', a track I keep coming back to & `Hail Mary', a really beautiful song that The Jesus & Mary Chain would have been proud to have written, as the track name hints at. I'm glad I have this album & I'll always find a place in time to listen to it, however it's not for everyone. It goes pretty cheap these days; the cover art is classic 4AD (23 Envelope), so any 4AD fans out there wishing an addition to their collection couldn't go too wrong with it. And you just might be one of the few, like me, who love a few of these songs.