Vini Reilly, a true visionary, put this phenomenal album together following the illness and death of his mother. Ironically, he sounds more alive than at any time since his work on Morrissey’s Viva Hate in 1988. In fact, this is probably his finest record since 1981’s L.C. Despite the events which led to these songs, the sense of rejuvenation is strong: hear the breakbeat-powered “Love Is A Friend” and “No More Hurt” with his distinctive voice (surely an influence on Ian Brown) and passionate guitar playing. The two songs which cut the deepest, though, are the ballad “Requiem For My Mother” and “Spanish Lament”, which makes brilliant use of a sample from David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive. This could be Reilly’s masterpiece.
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