C91

In the label's continuing effort to document the U.K. indie scene, on C91 Cherry Red takes the listener deep into the year 1991. Like previous compilations, the label tries to give an overarching view of what the mainly guitar-led bands were up to, sprinkling in big names, innovators, chancers, and one-hit wonderfuls. 1991 was an interesting year for indie music, as many of the bands who had blossomed in the previous years had become big enough to chart on the pop charts. Those groups, namely Ride and My Bloody Valentine, aren't represented here, but the shoegaze style they spearheaded makes many appearances. Chapterhouse and Lush are both included, the former with their sunshine-in-a-bottle bid for pop immortality "Pearl." Slowdive's "Morningrise" is an example of how hugely expansive shoegaze could sound; Secret Shine's "Grey Skies" shows how the sound could be shrunk down small enough to fit in a shoebox and still be breathtaking. That band recorded for the Sarah label, which was still going strong in 1991 as they added more acts to their roster. The best of the batch were Heavenly, whose "So Little Deserve" is emblematic of early-'90s indie pop at its bubbliest, and Blueboy, who were so miserable it was almost painful. Their song "Clearer" is one of few ballads to make the cut. Most of the picks lean toward the sunnier, more danceable end of the spectrum (Saint Etienne's "Nothing Can Stop Us Now," Northside's "Take 5"), dial up the guitars to a fever pitch (Daisy Chainsaw's "Love Your Money," Manic Street Preachers' "Stay Beautiful"), indulge in some moody grooves (Moonflowers' "Fire," Medalark 11's "Snake"), or dive headlong into jingle-jangle dream pop (Spirea X's "Jet Pilot," the Boo Radleys' "Finest Kiss"). There's also plenty of proto-Brit-pop (Dodgy's bouncy "Summer Fayre"), some dance music crossovers, glossy alternative rock (done with panache by Mexico 70), and early glimpses of bands like the Cranberries who would soon top the charts. Along with the usual suspects, there are a few oddballs added for extra flavor, like Sultans of Ping F.C., with their giddily weird "Where's Me Jumper?," hairy '60s revivalists the Stairs, and the little-known Ever, whose trippy track "Virginize" was produced by Genesis P Orridge. As usual the label has done a fine job of capturing all the various streams of sound coursing through the vibrant indie rock and pop scenes during another truly interesting year of music. ~ Tim Sendra