"Notes that roll on winds with swirling wings, bring me words that are not the strength of strings."
If This Mortal Coil's first album, It'll End in Tears, felt, at times, a little too much like a 4AD talent sampler, albeit a more original approach to such a thing than the standard record label "comp" (see Lonely Is an Eyesore), the follow up album, Filigree & Shadow, avoids this by being far more ambitious musically and doing so with what had evolved into something resembling a 4AD "in-house" band. While This Mortal Coil's second album is noticeably lacking in 4AD star power (Liz Fraser, Lisa Gerrard and Brendan Perry had all participated on the first album but are absent on the follow-up), vocalists such as Dominic Appleton, Alison Limerick and Deirdre & Louise Rutkowski more than ably lend the cover songs a distinctive feel, often succeeding in liberating them from their original contexts. However, tying these songs together by way of moody, atmospheric interludes are 13 instrumentals that, while listenable, are more forgettable than not. The overall effect of this is both the main strength and primary weakness of the album: sonically, it comes across as remarkably cohesive (a rare feat for a double album), but you also might find yourself skipping over the instrumentals in search of the gems, such as the cover of Pearl Before Swine's "The Jeweller," which alone is worth the price of admission.
Filigree & Shadow (1998 Remastered Edition)
1. Velvet Belly (1:20)
2. The Jeweller (3:16)
3. Ivy and Neet (4:49)
4. Meniscus (2:28)
5. Tears (0:22)
6. Tarantula (4:59)
7. My Father (5:58)
8. Come Here My Love (3:42)
9. At first, and Then (1:59)
10. Strength of Strings (4:41)
11. Morning Glory (2:57)
12. Inch-Blue (1:08)
13. I Want to Live (4:05)
14. Mama K (1) (0:53)
15. Filigree & Shadow (1:20)
16. Firebrothers (3:54)
17. Thaïs (1) (1:09)
18. I Must Have Been Blind (3:30)
19. A Heart of Glass (3:46)
20. Alone (4:14)
21. Mama K (2) (0:34)
22. The Horizon Bleeds and Sucks Its Thumb (2:53)
23. Drugs (3:10)
24. Red Rain (3:53)
25. Thaïs (2) (3:13)
How did I miss this band too? Oh that's right I was into punk......
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SL3Q-5MjaIw
thx you very much !
ReplyDeleteI already have this in flac but my file size is half of yours. Does this have a bonus CD or what?
ReplyDeletedouxee, you are welcome!
ReplyDeleteleakingwater, I checked and one of the files is the entire album w/out breaks, which essentially doubled the size of the file. I've deleted it and will repost as a smaller (and easier to download) file as soon as it uploads to MU. Thanks for letting me know
ReplyDeleteScurfie, there are two additional albums, which I'll post eventually
ReplyDeleteok, the FLAC file is now significantly smaller, which should make it an easier download. Thanks again leakingwater.
ReplyDeletei loved It'll End in Tears and blood 's LPs.
ReplyDeletethx again
douxee, thanks for the request; it was a great suggestion. I'll post more TMC soon. I also have several 80s 4AD posts in the works, many of which you don't see much in cyberspace, so stayed tuned and please hit the 'follow' button. I appreciate your support.
ReplyDeletedone.mechanical followed =)
ReplyDeletegreat idea
For those who love the voice of Dominic Appleton(The Jeweller, Strength of Strings...)you should really, REALLY, seek out the music of Breathless, on Tenor Vossa records. To be specific, one album in particular, "Between Happiness and Heartache" This was, in my opinion, when everything came together perfectly for them; the songs, one and all, are wondrous gems. Still, almost two decades later, this is an album I play very regularly. The music is beautiful and often searing, the lyrics are always incredible, and at the centre of it all is that magnificent voice.
ReplyDeleteThe definition of a 'lost' masterpiece.
Hi Mace Hane, you sold me on it. I'll track it down and eventually post it. Thanks for the recommendation!
ReplyDeleteThanks for this. I had all the Cocteaus albums but was never really aware of 4AD until I stumbled across Lonely is an Eyesore in '87. I took my first trip to Britain in '88 and had to get at least one album by every artist on the comp. My faves were Mortal Coil, Wolfgang Press, T.Muses and Dead Can Dance. It's all on vinyl, to look at, to touch, to smell and fetishize over it. But now I can take it on my iPod!
ReplyDeleteWolfgang Press, you're welcome. Let me know if you have any 4AD requests
ReplyDeleteI would never argue that *ALL* of the instrumental interludes work, but I like some of them (mostly the earlier ones, such as "Ivy and Neet"/"Meniscus"/"Tears") quite well. I also especially like the concept and application of those interludes which then turn our to be parts of the arrangements of later tracks. "Velvet Belly" is a gorgeous intro, later to be used in Judy Collins' "My Father", and I love the drum rhythm at the tail end of the stunning rendition of Tim Buckley's "I Must Have Been Blind", which is then resurrected to perfect effect in the Talking Heads' "Drugs". What a brilliant and original idea for what is at its core a covers album.
ReplyDeleteGreat music!!!
ReplyDeleteSuch a good record. Love it
ReplyDeleteDead links...
ReplyDelete