Title: Floodland
Artiste: The Sisters of Mercy
Year: 1987
Chronological position: Second album
Previous experience of this artiste?: "This corrosion". That's it.
Why is this considered a classic? Maybe because it was the last official album before the band broke up, and also because it rather paradoxically it seems to me marked their commercial breakthough. What do you do on the cusp of fame and fortune? Yeah, break up!
My thoughts
One minute (or thereabouts in) ---- Good, great, bad, meh, still waiting or other? Great
One track in --- Great
Halfway through --- Great
Finished --- Great
Comments: I loved Andew Eldritch's voice when I heard it on "This corrosion": I always felt if a vampire started up a band the lead singer would sound like him. How do you categorise this music? Dark new wave? Gothic rock? Darkwave? "Flood I" sort of gives me a Gary Numan feel, especially his earlier work with Tubeway Army, mixed in with a harsher Nick Cave sound. I love the bassline in "Lucretia my reflection", very sparse. I also like Eldritch's more restrained vocal for most of the song. You know, SoM sound a little like The Damned too. The piano ballad "1959" is a step away from what has gone so far and is a nice surprise.
I'd have to say I'm pretty damn impressed by this album; just a pity they didn't last to do more than one after this. Never heard of a band striking against their record label before but apparently that's exactly what they did!
Favourite track(s): Pretty much everything really
Least favourite track(s): So that would leave...?
Final impression --- Something of a masterpiece really; and a supernova that flared and rather sadly died out all too quickly.
Do I feel, at the end, A) I wish I had listened to this sooner
B) I'm sorry I bothered
C) I might end up liking this
D) Have to wait and see
E) Bit underwhelmed; was ok but a classic?
F) Definitely enjoyed it, but again would I consider it a classic?
Have to be A.