Bag Brothers - Freres de Sac

Advantages: Mix of Electropop and Ballards, Ana's voice
Disadvantages: They aren't together anymore!

..., and clean guitars. The song is about having another chance at a relationship, quite similar to Roxette's It Must Have Been Love. 8/10 12. Heroes de la Antartida (Heroes of the Antarctic). The song starts off with Stefan Zweig, a German poet, reciting a poem he did for the Heroes of the Antartic, in Spanish. This lasts for a minute. After this, Mecano produce an upbeat song about what happened in 1912 when Captain Scott tried to reach the South Pole. There are a lot of wind noises, but the atmosphere is intense, but at the same time tacky. 7/10 13. Hermano Sol, Hermana Luna (Brother Son, Sister Moon). Apart from Mujer Contra Mujer, this is my other favourite song on the album. It is a bedtime story sung with guitars and a piano through out. It is haunting and beautiful. For the second verse, a harp is played. Ana sings with so much emotion... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: None really
Disadvantages: Too laid back

...The simmering rhythms that had made the Beat’s first album such a delight had settled into a reggae pulse by the time of 1981’s Wha’appen, at the expense of the original excitement. Reggae singer Cedric Myton of the Congos lent vocal support. The most successful tracks were the loping lovers’ rock of Doors To Your Heart and the anti war song I Am Your Flag. The recognition that Wha’appen was a musical cul de sac was followed in April 1982 by Saxa’s retirement from live work for health reasons. It was a shame to see the anti climax of this album after the glorious run of hit singles and extremely exciting debut album, but the Beat were clearly now on the way down from the exciting standards that they had set themselves and were soon to split into several pieces. Wha’appen is a dull, lifeless and bland album that does nothing... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Melodies Waxing Lyrical.
Disadvantages: Smiley Tunes Can Give You Lockjaw.

...at the end the craving for more is quite hard to quell. Like the perfect summer day you don't want it to end. The album opens with the stunning 'I Need Direction', as close to a Byrds tune for the new millennium as you're likely to get. In Teenage Fanclub's hands this is not naked plagiarism, just a innovative slant on an old idea. 'Near You' is so powerful I get a lump in my throat every time I hear the line "I get near, but I never seem to reach you". 'Cul de Sac' has an underlying Gallic theme that almost beams you to a Parisian walkway. It floats like a cloud high above all the mundane chart fodder. 'My Uptight Life' got the nod from the Sunday Times critics suggesting that it was a hidden gem, worth the price of the album on its own. Who cares if the vocals are reminiscent of the Beautiful South's Paul Heaton. This is majestical stuff... Read review

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