S/D: This Mortal Coil

It'll End in Tears: "Kangaroo" (spooky, yes), "Song to the Siren" (of course), "Another Day" (twee!).

Filigree and Shadow: "The Jeweller" (spooky and creepy)

Blood: "Mister Somewhere" (more twee!), "You and Your Sister" (attractively befuddled), "I am the Cosmos" (vast).

Come to think of it, I might as well stop here and just say: Search all TMC's cover versions, pretty much. But they're tough artists to do a S/D on, anyway, since much of their stuff has to be heard within the unique world of each album, they're truly an album "band" that way. Even weaker half-formed snippets are often tendrils holding together the most sublime moments, so it's hard to want ot destroy any of it, really (yes, even the sounds of babies gurgling).

My GOD, man! What are you waiting for? Get thee to a music- selling establishment pronto!!

umm ... i must say, though, i'm not sure "blood" and "filigree" have aged particularly well. i bought them both on CD recently and they were much, much less impressive and awe-inspiring than i remembered. "it'll end in tears", though ... wow.

when i was 16, i made a C90 with that on one side and "seamonsters" on the other. it didn't come out of my walkman for about two months.

THIS MORTAL COIL NEVER MADE A BAD RECORD, AND MAY A THORNY GAGGLE OF EXCEPTIONALLY AGITATED HORNETS TAKE RESIDENCE IN YOUR UNDERWEAR IF YOU SUGGEST OTHERWISE!

THIS MORTAL COIL NEVER MADE A BAD RECORD
They made an ambitious but ultimately patchy one in Filigree & Shadow but there are enough stand out songs on there that it doesn't really matter about the slight filler. I certainly wouldn't say Destroy to any of it.

once i've finished the johnny cash box-set.

"Filigree and Shadow is the second in a line of three This Mortal Coil releases, and is considered by many to be the best. (I'll still take their third album, It'll End In Tears, even if it does have that godawful cover of Big Star's "Kangaroo.") If you're into 4AD, you're probably on your third copy of this disc. If you're not familiar, this is a great place to start... that is, if you like your music spooky and woozy."

Is that not a glaring mistake in there?

I actually just recently threw Filigree on the ipod and it inevidably delights. I remember loving It'll End in Tears more though.

Alex is a softee!

"ARRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHH! It WAS THEIR FIRST ALBUM NOT THEIR THIRD! GRRRRRRRR!" - Mr. Hopelessly Obsessive Detail-Oriented Man

"It'll End In Tears" = Classic x10.

"Filigree" = classic x6.

"Blood" is...very good but I never play it.

1. It'll End in Tears...which is truly a work of fucking art.
2. Blood -- comparitively a little heavy handed, but still gorgeous
3. Filigree.. -- Lovely as well, but it's the one I picked up last...and I've always been slightly put off by Dominic Appleton's lisp.

The non-LP tracks "Sixteen Days" and "Acid, Bitter and Sad" are also well worthing tracking down.

1. Blood
2. Filigree
3. End in Tears

I do! Definitely. From first to last.

This seems to bear out Dan's theory as well. Strange.

BTW Scott you recommended me Eluvium on a thread about Roedelius/Krautrock eons ago and I finally got around to checking it out when ILM was down recently and like it quite a bit. Thanx!

And I think it's just SO perfectly ironic that Eluvium has appeared in a This Mortal Coil thread! I have absolutely no problem comparing the two - very quiet, contemplative, gorgeous music. But I admit I liked the first release a little better...he did things on the piano that really resonated with me somehow...like as if I was on the piano myself choosing the some of the same notes in my head. Eerie.

The only meh moment on It'll End in Tears is the cover of "Not Me."

I actually like that cover, I think its placement on the album before that perfect concluding song sets everything up well -- a brusque mood-shatterer followed by a last swoon.

Yeah in of itself it's a great song, I like it!

I am in the "it ruins the flow" camp on that one. It could have been so good as, say, the second song on side 1. But by the time side 2 has lulled you into a dream state, it feels like a rude awakening.

Similarly "Hot Doggie" introduces the 4AD compilation album in an abrupt way it doesn't then follow for any of the rest of the album... maybe Watts-Russell is just efil =)

LOL yeah, "Not Me" does ruin the flow. I agree with the Hot Doggie problem as well, but somewhere along the way I forgave these things and just accepted them.

I always thought that it was the rest of the album which was the problem in that it was downhill after 'Hot Doggie'.

Blasphemer!

Not downhill by any means, but "Hot Doggie" is excellent.

Considering all the bloodthirsty invective I spewed when this thread was first initiated, here's a bold statement .... FILIGREE & SHADOW has in no way aged well.

Whatever prompted this conclusion!

I just gave it another spin recently, and compared to IT'LL END IN TEARS and BLOOD, it just doesn't hold together quite as well.