For Against
"December" CD
Words On Music
Genres: dream pop, jangle pop
December 2005 |
Words on Music continues its series of For
Against reissues with December, their sophomore album and,
according to many critics, their best. Listening in, it's not hard to
see why these guys are called the most underrated band of the late
eighties. Though they were never picked up by 4AD, it's hard to see
why; these nine songs are a wonderful sample of the type of urgent,
jangly pop that made this era so appealing.
December starts strongly right off the bat
with "Sabres," a fast and dire slab of jangly dream pop with a strong
Joy Division vibe. It's the sense of intenseness and importance
that makes the song so powerful. But the key to December's
underlying success - what keeps you coming back, if you will - goes
far beyond the superficial sound of the band. It's the little details,
the nice touches that work in For Against's favour. Be it the
colossal riffs in the chorus of "They Said" or the ever-growing
snowball of sound that is the title-track, there's so much to love in
this record that it lasts you far longer than most.
There's a reason albums like this are reissued.
Pick up December as soon as you can.
90%
Matt Shimmer
[Vitals: 9 tracks, 36.2
min, distributed by
the label,
orig. released 1988, reissued 2005] |
