Recently Ive found myself looking back more than forward for quality music, as there are a plethora of hidden gems out there. The Lines for instance are one. Their music coexisted between contemporaries Wire, Joy Division, The Feelies or Mission of Burma.
Although they played shows with bands like The Cure, Bauhaus, The Sound and Birthday Party, and featured members of Prag Vec and Alternative TV, they were never part of any scene. They never toured and rarely spoke to the press. For 5 years they performed and recorded to little acclaim, leaving only 8 releases on vinyl, which have become cult collectibles. While unappreciated in their time, they perfectly encapsulate the best qualities of the era: angst-ridden angularity, danceable catchiness, dub-influenced atmospherics, sonic experimentation and killer hooks.
MP3: The Lines – Have A Heart
MP3: The Lines – Stripe
at least with the older (good) stuff; you know it has stood the test of time… instead of being completely excited about a ‘hot & fresh’ album, that lets you down so much; you want to transport into your headphones, into the song, back in time while they were recording it and SLAP THEM AROUND