(2023) AREA - Radio Caroline (1987 Remaster)    

Review:

…remastered edition with two never-before-heard bonus tracks.

Formed in 1986 in Champaign-Urbana, IL, Area was an enigmatic dream pop trio quickly hailed as the midwest’s answer to England’s 4AD Records. On their second release and first vinyl LP, they merged the seductive, breathy voice and lyrics of Lynn Canfield with the radiant guitar and delicate synth inventions of Henry Frayne and Steve Jones. Finding their musical footing on Radio Caroline, Area explored gentle spirals of emotive, fragile moods at once sad and beautiful. “They’re almost all very personal lyrics,” noted Lynn Canfield in a 1987 interview with Italy’s Night Circle fanzine. “I’m talking about facts that happen to me on a daily basis, but it’s never planned, it’s not a conscious thing. The surest — and for me the only — way to write is to write what is definitely in you.” Ranging from the straight-ahead rock of “Sweet Revenge” to the wistfulness and wintery “After the End” and “Crystal,” the variety of styles fits nicely with the late-’80s music of the Cocteau Twins, Cowboy Junkies, Lanterna, Low, and Durutti Column. Originally recorded on four-track and eight-track tape largely in home settings, Jones’ 2023 remaster not only cleans up the sound but also reveals nuances not heard on the original release.

***

Radio Caroline is a set of modern angst with sparse instrumentation and dark timbres. Canfield is an exceptional torch singer. Her expressive vocals dominate the soundscapes and, thus, the entire CD. The atmospheres support her husky and breathy voice quite effectively. While Frayne and Jones are accomplished musicians, Canfield is the real attraction here. She is a serious talent and belongs in the same league as Martha Davis, Eda Maxym, Hannah Reimann, Mary Deschamps, and the other great torch singers of the new millennium. — bandcamp

Track List:

Disc 1
01 - This One (2023 Remaster)
02 - Head Above Water (2023 Remaster)
03 - Sweet Revenge (2023 Remaster)
04 - Michael Writes His Parents (2023 Remaster)
05 - One Desire (2023 Remaster)
06 - Transmitter (2023 Remaster)
07 - Resistance (2023 Remaster)
08 - Long Faces (2023 Remaster)
09 - After the End (2023 Remaster)
10 - Crystal (2023 Remaster)

Disc 2
01 - Higher Than Heaven (2023 Remaster)
02 - Parachute (2023 Remaster)
03 - Sincerely Charlotte (2023 Remaster)
04 - Sweet Revenge (Extended Unedited Version)
05 - Resistance (Dance Mix)


Media Report:
Genre: dream-pop
Country: Champaign–Urbana, Illinois, USA
Format: FLAC
Format/Info: Free Lossless Audio Codec
Bit rate mode: Variable
Channel(s): 2 channels
Sampling rate: 44.1 KHz
Bit depth: 16 bits
Compression mode: Lossless
Writing library: libFLAC 1.2.1 (UTC 2007-09-17)


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