Shack Is Back
I first heard about Liverpudlian pop-folkies Shack in '99 when H.M.S. Fable (iTunes) was making waves across the pond. I found the album rather uneven, but still can't get "Streets Of Kenny" out of my head.
The band originally formed as Pale Fountains back in '86 by Mick and John Head, but failed to attract any press attention. The brothers' subsquent albums as Shack met the same fate (due to label apathy), and they went so far as to rebrand themselves the Strands. When Shack's supposed comeback CD H.M.S. failed to make a splash stateside I thought I'd never hear from them again. And -- bad Scott! -- I never did pick up 2003's Here's Tom With The Weather.
Fortunately, Shack has a brand new CD, the cleverly titled The Corner Of Miles & Gil, and I'm digging their return to form, complete with orchestral flourishes. It'll be released on Noel Gallagher's Sourmash label, and the group is currently touring their homeland, but no word (yet) on a domestic release. Stereogum's got an exclusive preview for you:
Shack - "Butterfly" (MP3 Link Expired)
There are three other tracks streaming on MySpace.
BUT before you visit Miles & Gil Streets, please first download this cut from 1991's Waterpistol. It's absolutely lovely and was a staple on my mix CDs during my college years. Haven't met many Shack fans in my life so I hope some of you lurk in Stereogum sphere.
Shack - "Undecided" (MP3 Link Expired)
And there's a great story behind the music. Via All Music.
"The genesis of Waterpistol is one of the most convoluted in all of indie pop, and it's one of the genre's most legendary stories. The album was recorded in 1991, but the master tapes were destroyed when the studio caught fire. All was not lost, however, as producer Chris Allison had made a DAT safety copy before he left for an American vacation. Unfortunately, not knowing about the fire, Allison inadvertently left his DAT in his rental car. Amazingly, he was able to track it down with the help of the car rental company, but given that Shack's record company had gone under and the band had split up in the interim, the album didn't come out until the German label Marina Records rescued it in 1995.""Undecided": The best wistful ballad the La's never wrote. Lemme know what you think.
Posted at 12:25 PM in MP3
You need to check out Tim Barry - hes the singer for Avail, but hes got this laid back solo country stuff going on. Think along the lines of Lucero, Cory Branan, etc... but with more gruff/working class vibe.
www.myspace.com/timbarry
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Thanks for the Shack stuff. Sounds like the Bats if they were more Smithsish...whatever, thanks.
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love the tune 'comedy'
great band with a soul!
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I never liked that much of hms fable, and regrettably that was all i ever heard from them.
But Natalie's Party and Comedy both are seared into my head to this day.
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I grew up in "Kenny" (one of the more unfortunate areas of Britain, if not the whole of western europe) and I too loved Waterpistol during my university years. I haven't heard Hear's Tom With The Weather either (surely it was 2003, not 1993?), but I've been told it's pretty solid.
Doubt that the patronage of Noel Gallagher has helped their credibility much, either.
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Waterpistol is a great album, sorta Las, Stone Roses, etc... HMS Fable is okay but you can definitely feel the Oasis influence. Didn't care for Here's Tom With the Weather but am anxious to hear the new one.
Michael Head's masterpiece, however, may be the one record he did as The Strands -- The Magical World of the Strands. It's still in print (in the UK) and well worth checking out.
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Also highly worth checking out are the Pale Fountains...
http://youtube.com/watch?v=k-Q4dCfK5vc
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Hell, Shaq puts out an album, Paris Hilton puts out an album, Nicole Richie puts out an album, why not let George Bush put out an album
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shack is great, waterpistol is one of the top records of 95 along with the bends, wtsmg, different class and i should coco. looking forward to their record.
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I'm with the guy above who says the Strands record is a piece of genius. Sadly it's very rare, but I've seen it in shops from time to time.
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I used to play "H.M.S. Fable" in the offices of The Daily Sun all the time ...
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I used to play "H.M.S. Fable" in the offices of The Daily Sun all the time ... my favorite track is "Cornish Town."
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A pretty fascinating one is a release called "The Fable Sessions," which came out in 2003, I think. It's supposedly "HMS Fable" the way the band wanted to release it, so the tracklist is radically different. It makes the thing as a whole seem sadder somehow, but ends on the joy of "Lend's Some Dough." It also has a bunch of b-sides and two album tracks that were recorded with original producer Hugh Jones.
HMS Fable/Fable Sessions is definitely my favorite though. Strikes just the right mix of strength and tenderness. Then, they were picking up steam from the Strands LP. ("And Luna"-still one of the greatest songs ever.)
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'here's tom with the weather' isn't as immediately accessible/poppy as HMS fable, but there's still some great stuff on there.
'pull together' was on many a mix CD of mine in college. so glad to see shack back, will be importing this!
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the strands what about the stands another great scouse band. who unfortunately got dropped due to lack of record sales. everyone should check out all years leaving.
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Oh my god, I can't believe you mentioned Shack! I love them and finally got to see them live in September. Two weeks ago I was in a bar in London randomly having just missed a secret show of theirs, but still ended up hanging out with the bass player, top guy! 'Cornish Town' is one of the most beautiful songs ever.
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Also LOVE Shack; almost never hear of anyone in the states talk about them. Thanks for the new mp3...
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HMS Fable is a fantastic album, the production (by Youth) was apparently an attempt at a more forward, poppy, radio-friendly sound, undermining the usual subtlety of Shack albums, but the songwriting is stellar all the same. Here's Tom with the Weather (the title was taken from a Bill Hicks line) is brilliant too, similar to the Michael Head & the Strands album in feel. I was lucky to catch Shack at the Mercury Lounge in NYC a couple of years back (possibly the only U.S. show they've done) and it was a wonderful night. I'm excited to hear that they're still together and releasing new music. By the way, here's a link to their web site:
http://shacktheband.com/
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shack are the best band ever to come out of liverpool circa 1980s up to the present.It is a shame about the well documented mishaps of the bandbut the head brothers were doing what the gallaghers do long before they were at it.Zilch is a classic and is worth a listen
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