Formed as they were from the lineup of C-86 pioneers
Talulah Gosh
, sometimes
Heavenly
don't get the same credit. They weren't as groundbreaking, but their tunes stacked up just as well when put side by side. Over the course of their brief career,
created an impressive catalog of songs that are well overdue for reissue.
A Bout de Heavenly
remedies this glaring absence from the marketplace by collecting all the band's singles and the
Atta Girl
EP in one lovely package. It kicks off with the band's run of singles on
Sarah Records
, starting with 1990's double shot of brilliant indie pop -- the lilting "I Fell in Love Last Night" and the bouncy "Over and Over" -- that set the parameters of their sound quite well. The star-crossed love songs, the subtle sweetness of
Amelia Fletcher
's vocals, the jangling and twang of
Peter Momtchiloff
's guitar, the rubbery punch of the bass and drums, all came together in perfect harmony. Less insistent than
, but with similarly memorable melodies that sink in a little deeper thanks to the calmer, more confident approach of the music. "Wrap My Arms Around Him" is a highlight of their early recordings, a bubbly girl group song that transmits all the giddy rush of a crush into three minutes of eager-to-please indie pop. The 1991 single on
K Records
begins to show a tougher side of the band more in line with bands like
the Wedding Present
; A-side "She Says" features guitars that clang as much as twang and
Fletcher
's vocals have more punch than previously shown. By the time of the
EP, the band were capable of whipping up an almost shoegaze-y wall of guitars as on the title track or pogo'ing with wanton enthusiasm on "P.U.N.K. Girl" while incorporating the ideals of the burgeoning riot grrrl scene. The magical vocal interplay between
and new member
Cathy Rogers
was also in full flight by this time and the band was growing from a well-oiled twee pop machine into a band capable of much more, as their albums often showed. They even gleefully took on Brit-pop on their 1996 songs "Trophy Girlfriend" and "Space Manatee" -- and convincingly covered
the Jam
's "Art School" for good measure -- but since they were just a ropey
Sarah
band, they never got a glance from the press.
fans knew better, and their incarnation as a powerful indie rock band was just as tunefully loveable as their early twee pop days. This collection stands as compelling proof of that fact and will hopefully awaken more interest in one of the most thoughtful, cheerfully romantic, and reliably hooky pop bands the early '90s had to offer. ~ Tim Sendra