A.R. Kane - Disc of the day

A.R. Kane
“i”

(Rough Trade, 1989)

The envelope of “indie” pushed to breaking point, then posted to Mars.

This week is Indie Week on MOJO, and every Disc Of The Day will reflect that theme.

If the response to Alex Ayuli and Rudi Tambala’s earlier recordings indicated the world’s unreadiness for a “black Jesus & Mary Chain”, their subsequent evolution into phantasmagorical psychedelic-dub-house concept-werkers proved more baffling still. Just the moment, then, for their genre-bending double-vinyl headfuck to be held up by legals over its original title (Supercallafragilisticexpealladosius (sic), a copyright time-bomb, even misspelt). When it emerged it hung suspended, as out of time as it sounds today, in a beauty bubble. Daring pop experiments, aciiid-tinged dance grooves, all-enveloping feedbackscapes – all took their part in a standard-setting folie de grandeur that simpatico indie questers (Primal Scream, Boo Radleys, MBV) would make their reputations striving to emulate. Absorbed in one go, it’s a sprawling, spangling treat; but if you’re pushed for time, why not program tracks 21-25 (Side 4 in old money) of Rough Trade’s tastefully augmented CD reissue, and enjoy a noise-saturated proto-Loveless in all but name?

Danny Eccleston

Posted by Danny_Eccleston at 6:00 AM GMT 08/02/2008

Further Listening

Primal Scream – Screamadelica (Creation)

Boo Radleys – Giant Steps (Creation)

My Bloody Valentine – Loveless (Creation)

What’s YOUR favourite UK indie album? Enlighten us below...

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In retrospect it is easy to call 'i' the sum of the nineties but rather than pre-empting the oncoming post-wave it was a beautiful exponent of the so-called dreampop-string of bands- Papa Sprain and Buuterfly Child being other lauded bands. Don't hear the aciiid in this album, I do hear shoegaze (Conundrum, Honeysuckleswallow,), dub and reggae (Catch My Drift, What's All This Then), dronerock (Fast Ka, Supervixens), bubblegum pop (Crack Up, Snow Joke) and the 'dreamy' type of pop (In A Circle, Spook) this album represented- a mere example of the many tastes Rudy and Alex embraced at the time they recorded this album. Still very much an underrated classic.

Posted by maarts at 10:23 AM GMT 04/03/2008 Report Abuse

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Good on you Mojo for singing 'i''s praises. Alex and Rudi took on a lot of different ideas and styles, showing an almost reckless ambition, but somehow it all makes sense. How an album that contains blissful house (Love From Outer Space), dreamy chamber music (In A Circle) and terrifying screaming guitar rock (Supervixens) can pull it off still amazes me 20 years later. Time for an AR Kane feature perhaps?

Posted by rm at 2:59 AM GMT 18/03/2008 Report Abuse

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