Catherine Wheel Adam And Eve 180g Import 2LP

English alternative rock band Catherine Wheel released their fourth studio ablum in 1997, and while the band had made an impression in both the shoegaze and Britpop scenes, Adam And Eve didn't sound like any of their previous albums. It was a new beginning, both musically and artistically. This unique record strikes a balance between alternative rock, guitar pop and the dreamy world they created. They're constantly shifting in volume, keys and guitars, but every song is connected with the next.

One of the most underrated albums of all time, Adam And Eve can compete with '90s records by Radiohead and Spiritualized. Just take your first spin and you won't be disappointed.

Even by Catherine Wheel's lofty standards, Adam and Eve is boldly realized. It's infused with unusual moods, textures, and ambitious touches -- such as built-up volume shifts, or keyboards and acoustic guitars that suggest endless wide-open spaces. The album is also an impressive thematic whole formed by two untitled tracks that start and finish the LP, with gentle connectors between songs in which chords of one tune drift quietly into the start of the next. In markedly lowering the volume throughout large passages of the album, they shine the spotlight on singer/guitarist Rob Dickinson, who alternates his smooth, cool, meditative cooing with a more yearning, emotional, arresting wail. Other guitarist Brian Futter, bassist Dave Hawes, and drummer Neil Sims negotiate a maze of hues and tints, from peaceful, pretty solitude to the most desperate pathos. To put it bluntly, Adam and Eve is brilliant -- as playful as it is gripping, and as sweet as it is contentious.