467. Kilimanjaro - Teardrop Explodes

The Teardrop Explodes always sounded like a great band, simply due to their intriguing name, but I can't say I'd knowingly ever heard a single one of their songs, so I was intrigued as to what this album would offer.

The Liverpool-based band took their name from a quote in a Daredevil comic, and were founded around Julian Cope, from the remnants of several other post-punk bands in the area, including the Crucial Three containing Ian McCulloch, who went on to form Echo and the Bunnymen. The Teardrop Explodes' ongoing existence was tumultuous, with Cope hiring and firing a range of different bandmates over the first few months of the band's existence, and ultimately explaining their lack of longevity, falling apart a couple of years after their debut. The album cover is hardly enticing, with a terrible, shadowy photo of the band over a pretty poor font.

Ha Ha I'm Drowning has a swirly, very Jesus and Mary Chain opening riff, leaving you in no doubt as to the decade this was released. Sleeping Gas has an intensity to it that isn't always matched by its slightly vague lyrics. The doom-laden organ is pretty overbearing, but that does create an interesting atmosphere. Treason is a bit more woolly, with lyrics that go beyond repetitive into simply sounding like a lack of inspiration. Second Head has very Joy Division drumming that once you notice it is hard to ignore. Poppies is a slightly overly meandering song, whereas Went Crazy starts off with a very focussed horn riff. Brave Boys Keep Their Promises has a more upbeat feel, with crisp drumming keeping proceedings moving along nicely, and some nice falsetto tones played off against the horn section. Bouncing Babies Was a relatively successful single, but I can't really understand why, it's brevity being a saving grace. Books has a nice couple of lines, such as "who wants love/ Without the looks", which seems to sum up the shallowness of the forthcoming decade nicely. Thief of Baghdad is ok, and far better than the annoying synth tones of When I Dream, which is an extended mess, frankly. We included Reward in our version, as although it wasn't included on the original, it was on the re-release, and as the runaway hit we wanted to give the album the best chance. It is clearly a much more engaging song than the rest of the fare here, with a great horn section that sounds like a Motown backing track at double speed.

The overall album is more of an overall moodboard of doom and despair than a series of songs. There are plenty of interesting textures and an array of tones, but the actual songs are lacking in depth to my ear. It sounds dated, and not in a capturing the era way, more in a slightly depressing, "no wonder the 80s were musically maligned" way. I can hear that it was probably influential, but that doesn't mean in a good way - driving the 80s sound further into the mire of overwhelming navel-gazing is not to be commended.

Chloe's album rating: 4

Chloe's favourite track: 1. Ha Ha I'm Drowning

Olly's album rating: 5

Olly's favourite track: 12. Reward

Next week is 672. Mama Said Knock You Out - LL Cool J.