― DavidM, Monday, 11 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link
― Omar, Tuesday, 12 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link
― Jeff Guidry, Wednesday, 21 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― stevo, Wednesday, 21 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― alex in mainhattan, Wednesday, 21 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Robin Carmody, Wednesday, 21 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
I have a Sundays T-shirt which is too small for me. The first time I wore it, a girl asked me 'Is that the band with the woman with the very high voice who sings about toilets?'. It was a long time ago. But my life is made of memories like this.
They are still among my idols. I hope I never meet them. (And that goes for the Sundays too.)
― the pinefox, Monday, 29 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
That said - you've rekindled something or other which is making me quite want to hear Here's Where The Story Ends or somesuch.
Was the third album any good? Did one even exist?
― Dr. C, Monday, 29 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
Now, anyone care to defend Blind?
― Jeff W, Monday, 29 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Tim, Monday, 29 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
Static & Silence was a major comedown after the first two: I guess I agree about the cardigan comment, which sums it up neatly enough. It always mystifies me that so many people rate LP#3 over LP#2 - which while not as good as LP#1 (what is?) still feels close enough (cos early enough) to the essence of the band.
'Summertime' is an OK 45, but it's not what's great about the Sundays. I can't say that much for 'Monochrome' either. Probably the best track is indeed 'She'.
― Chris, Monday, 29 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― electric sound of jim, Monday, 29 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― nabisco, Monday, 29 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― ryan, Monday, 29 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Venga, Wednesday, 31 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Mary (Mary), Thursday, 21 August 2003 02:10 (twenty-one years ago) link
― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Thursday, 21 August 2003 02:23 (twenty-one years ago) link
Seriously, Harriet Wheeler has the most beautiful female voice I've ever heard. Going against conventional rockist wisdom, I'd pick her over Aretha, Dusty, Nina, Billie or any other highly regarded musical woman in pop's history.
It's hard to believe it's been six years since Static & Silence came out (a full five years after Blind). I'm hoping there will be a 4th album by 2010, but I fear that will forever remain a daydream.
― Andrew Frye (paul cox), Thursday, 21 August 2003 02:25 (twenty-one years ago) link
― derrick (derrick), Sunday, 28 March 2004 07:48 (twenty years ago) link
I am touched by Gareth's reference to Stevenage back there. But it's difficult to reconcile the wistful charms of Wheeler with the damply grim banality of the town. In fact they remind me of Norwich, party because that was where I was studying when I heard them and partly because they seem more appropriate to that slightly sleepy market town setting.
Harriet Wheeler once kissed me. I will take that memory to the grave.
― Jerry the Nipper (Jerrynipper), Sunday, 28 March 2004 09:37 (twenty years ago) link
She once waited at the same bus stop as me in Camden with David G, child and shopping. I will take that memory to Safeway.
― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Sunday, 28 March 2004 11:05 (twenty years ago) link
I don't know if "Cry" is about the death of Harriet's dad, but I KNOW it's about the death of mine: I have to programme it out if I don't want to burst into tears.
But how about "Monochrome"? What an extraordinarily atmospheric song. It's so visual; I see these two little girls looking at the moon landings on a television, and Armstrong and Aldrin dancing through the air, and then the girls looking out the window at the moon.
They're dancing around -slow puppets, silver ground, and the stars and stripes in the sand.We hear a voice from above,and it's history.And we stayed awakeall night.
They're dancing around.It sends a shiver down my spine,and I run to look in the sky,and I half expect to hear them asking to come down.
That song sure sends a shiver down *my* spine.
― Baravelli. (Jake Proudlock), Sunday, 28 March 2004 13:21 (twenty years ago) link
― the pinefox, Tuesday, 30 March 2004 15:08 (twenty years ago) link
― Ally C (Ally C), Tuesday, 30 March 2004 15:51 (twenty years ago) link
― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Tuesday, 30 March 2004 15:56 (twenty years ago) link
― Ally C (Ally C), Tuesday, 30 March 2004 16:24 (twenty years ago) link
"This is my life and it's all very well, but never never ever again...."
― kickitcricket, Tuesday, 30 March 2004 18:38 (twenty years ago) link
reading, writing and arithmetic does seem out on its own - sonically, lyrically - and Blind has a closer relation in Static and Silence I think. rwa is such a chilly, bare-floored record for all its talk of woollen things.
I recall the mixed reception Blind received on its release from the UK inkies. MM, which seemed to have thrown its lot in with the resurgent US rock scene and Brit rave culture with a little more gusto than indie centrale NME, embraced Blind as a wilful anomaly, a wistful gem - there was ET's glowing LP review, Mueller gushing over "Medicine" on the radio and a Quebecois live review in strips of purple. Lamacq gave the album a desultory three, maybe four out of ten in the NME, sad that the band he'd championed had somehow lost the power to jangle.
I saw them that December in Wolverhampton. Winter recast in the Wulfrun Hall, icicles on the lighting rig.
― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Wednesday, 31 March 2004 08:32 (twenty years ago) link
― Dr. C (Dr. C), Wednesday, 31 March 2004 08:51 (twenty years ago) link
This is a bad line that illustrates their weakness. It's nothing like Morrissey, or not like good Morrissey anyway.
― N. (nickdastoor), Wednesday, 31 March 2004 09:12 (twenty years ago) link
― piscesboy, Wednesday, 31 March 2004 09:43 (twenty years ago) link
― N. (nickdastoor), Wednesday, 31 March 2004 09:51 (twenty years ago) link
― Rob Bolton (Rob Bolton), Wednesday, 31 March 2004 10:20 (twenty years ago) link
― David Gunnip (David Gunnip), Wednesday, 31 March 2004 13:02 (twenty years ago) link
― N. (nickdastoor), Wednesday, 31 March 2004 13:23 (twenty years ago) link
I've been on vacation. Can someone please clue me in on what IIRC means?
― rainman (rainman), Wednesday, 31 March 2004 13:29 (twenty years ago) link
― Tico Tico (Tico Tico), Wednesday, 31 March 2004 13:37 (twenty years ago) link
IIRC means "if I remember correctly".
― Tico Tico (Tico Tico), Wednesday, 31 March 2004 13:38 (twenty years ago) link
how did we let this go by without more explanation?????
― anthony kyle monday (akmonday), Wednesday, 31 March 2004 15:05 (twenty years ago) link
― zebedee (zebedee), Wednesday, 31 March 2004 15:11 (twenty years ago) link
― N. (nickdastoor), Wednesday, 31 March 2004 15:12 (twenty years ago) link
I tried to post to this thread yesterday and things went wrong. So now, again, I will say, perhaps dully:
Careminted phrases pay the rent, and Jones delivers.
That sentence was far better the first time I sent it.
I *think* it was 'careminted'. If you have any better ideas, post them... below.
― the bellefox, Thursday, 1 April 2004 17:16 (twenty years ago) link
What a beautiful, poignant, delicious album. It has so many elements that have irritated me senseless in other bands (Cranberries, "Torn", Sixpence) but somehow it's all just charming and perfect and bicycles and cardigans and a dress, dress, dress that I've been sick on.
― People love Gravity and Evolution! (kate), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 08:28 (twenty years ago) link
― pete b. (pete b.), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 08:43 (twenty years ago) link
― People love Gravity and Evolution! (kate), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 08:47 (twenty years ago) link
― pete b. (pete b.), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 09:03 (twenty years ago) link
― charltonlido (gareth), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 09:15 (twenty years ago) link
― bham, Wednesday, 23 June 2004 11:15 (twenty years ago) link
― People love Gravity and Evolution! (kate), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 11:17 (twenty years ago) link
x-post
i have 'marvin! the album' by frente! i always liked it and thought parts of it were sundays-esque. should i really check out 'shape'? is it before or after 'marvin'?
― in a hideous town (monster mash), Thursday, 19 November 2015 18:38 (eight years ago) link
Shape is the follow-up and is much better IMO.
― Tim F, Thursday, 19 November 2015 23:20 (eight years ago) link
My fondest wish is to mix Tim F a cocktail and sit on a cool terrace while this album plays.
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 19 November 2015 23:31 (eight years ago) link
not sure if it was a deliberate homage, but the Spanish indiepop group Fine! often sounded just like Static & Silence-era Sundays, right down the vocal mannerisms:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7T1cH-X9LIU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53zklL0VIHI
(I've never heard that Frente album, but I'll have to check it out)
― scarlett bohansson (unregistered), Friday, 20 November 2015 01:23 (eight years ago) link
I bought an album by Moonpools and Caterpillars because it was RIYL-ed the Sundays but I didn't see it myself.
― Say Goodbye To That Blood (Old Lunch), Friday, 20 November 2015 01:58 (eight years ago) link
I've been into the s/t Stretch Princess album since it came out in 1998, chiefly because it has a few songs where they channel The Sundays in subtle ways. (Stretch Princess goes full on distorto guitar in most of their choruses though.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15lof9jLSdk
― Ⓓⓡ. (Johnny Fever), Friday, 20 November 2015 03:01 (eight years ago) link
very nice
― calstars, Friday, 20 November 2015 03:14 (eight years ago) link
i like how this thread has (temporarily?) devolved into trying to find good sundays sound-a-likes.
i have those fine! albums. i checked that band out because i thought it was a great name, but they didn't leave an impression on me :-/
― potential trouble source (monster mash), Sunday, 22 November 2015 21:29 (eight years ago) link
The Sundays are coming back. Someday they will. Trust me. I just know it.There is honestly no doubt in my mind that they will be back within the next 1-5 years, for reasons I mentioned upthread a little while ago.
Anyway, short of their inevitable, eventual return, this thread has nearly been done to death, for the time being. . .
Unless, however, we'd like to post/share more about good Sundays sound-a-likes. The Sundays are my favorite band times a million-billion, and I think going into depth on their best imitators would be a purposeful thing to do. (I'm always up for a good imitation/clone of my favorite band, The Sundays! (though, few exist). It seems truly odd to me, however, that some Sundays fans slag off other bands that sound a lot like The Sundays -- like, don't you want more of that Sundays sound???
So, maybe we can do that for a while, unless consensus requires another thread.
Shoestrings: "Naked"This is a great one. I hate to just call them a Sundays imitation, for they're a fine band in their own right. And, believe it or not, I can actually imagine this song coming into being even without The Sundays having existed! But, because of the vocals, I have to rate this as probably the best Sundays sound-a-like I've ever really heard. It just sounds like The Sundays picking up from S&S with a few synth-string washes, and slightly more naiveté, for these people were younger when recording this than the Sundays people ever were on any of their albums.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIGJY_ZyplM
I can really only think of very few other, worthy Sundays sound-a-likes. There really are a few, though (I've searched, and searched, and searched. I'll post them here later, unless we need another thread or something.
PS: The guy sings most of the songs on that Shoestrings album/most of their songs don't sound exactly like this.
― LEGALIZE COCAINE (monster mash), Tuesday, 1 December 2015 01:38 (eight years ago) link
Seeing this thread reminded me that I saw the Sundays with Madder Rose in Houston. One of the best shows I saw in the 90's. I need reading writing and arithmetic on record.
― JacobSanders, Tuesday, 1 December 2015 03:44 (eight years ago) link
Saw that very tour:
https://nedraggett.wordpress.com/2010/10/04/not-just-the-ticket-65-the-sundays-june-5-1993/
― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 1 December 2015 04:33 (eight years ago) link
Listened to a bit of their first LP this weekend, and wondered ... whatever became of Harriet Wheeler?
― Alex in NYC, Monday, 4 April 2016 14:37 (eight years ago) link
She and Gavurin have just been enjoying the domestic life for the last 18 or so years, it appears.
― Ⓓⓡ. (Johnny Fever), Monday, 4 April 2016 14:45 (eight years ago) link
This thread is such a mean tease every time it gets bumped.
― I am very inteligent and dicipline boy (Old Lunch), Monday, 4 April 2016 15:48 (eight years ago) link
a little off-topic, but if you like both ethereal goth and The Sundays, then I have to recommend the second Innocence Mission album to you 'Umbrella'. It's one of the only good Sundays imitations I've ever heard (I've given dozens of bad Sundays imitations a chance), and it has, surprisingly, at least a couple of songs that sound kind of dark. At least search "Evensong" from that album - I promise you'll like it a lot. (Nothing else by Innocence Mission besides the 'Umbrella' album sounds like The Sundays though, - just to save your time).
― monster mash, Sunday, November 8, 2015 4:33 PM (one year ago)
I've been listening to the first two Innocence Mission albums a lot lately, and this is otm! I'm starting to wonder if 'God Made Me' might have been a deliberate send-up of the Innocence Mission. I like to imagine Harriet and Dave listening to Umbrella, being like, 'hey, these American Jesus freaks are eating our lunch!', and writing an innocuously-titled apostate anthem for the express purpose of breaking the Perises poor Catholic hearts. it probably didn't happen that way, but I can dream.
― the baby grew up to be a secessful kid (unregistered), Sunday, 25 June 2017 20:46 (seven years ago) link
as for Sundays imitations, the lead singer of the Spanish band Fine channels Harriet Wheeler pretty strongly at times, though their style is more loungey indiepop than ethereal goth:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EE5XOBgU_po
― the baby grew up to be a secessful kid (unregistered), Sunday, 25 June 2017 21:18 (seven years ago) link
nothing makes me happier than a sundays bump : )will check out that IM album
― calstars, Sunday, 25 June 2017 21:27 (seven years ago) link
Talking of Sundays imitations…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Vt0d9YlTC4
― Bloody Snail, Sunday, 25 June 2017 21:57 (seven years ago) link
^good call, this song is very Static & Silence-ish. I hadn't even heard of the Sundays back when it came out
― the baby grew up to be a secessful kid (unregistered), Sunday, 25 June 2017 22:17 (seven years ago) link
and I don't think I've ever seen that video before because what is even going on with Natalie's hair
― the baby grew up to be a secessful kid (unregistered), Sunday, 25 June 2017 22:23 (seven years ago) link
Wrong Impression was the reason I finally got Reading, Writing & Arithmetic. I told my brother how much I loved it and he said, "you should probably get the first Sundays album then". He was right. I do still love the Natalie Imbruglia single as well.
― kitchen person, Sunday, 25 June 2017 22:43 (seven years ago) link
I avoided Wild Hoses for the longest time but it’s actually a great vehicle for Harriet
― calstars, Monday, 5 March 2018 22:03 (six years ago) link
Wild Hoses.
OK .....
― Mark G, Tuesday, 6 March 2018 06:52 (six years ago) link
The rock stars who went back work thread makes me wonder about this lot & how they fund their child rearing. Even though it's none of my business.
― lana del boy (ledge), Tuesday, 6 March 2018 09:17 (six years ago) link
p sure Harriet went into service with the civil service
― how to diss a peer completely (unregistered), Tuesday, 6 March 2018 11:47 (six years ago) link
Finding a pound doesn't count for much these days.
― lana del boy (ledge), Tuesday, 6 March 2018 12:34 (six years ago) link
The Sundays are my go to for smiths-like music when i'm in a smiths-like mood but really don't want to hear morrissey (which as of the last year or so is all of the time, forever)
― jamiesummerz, Tuesday, 6 March 2018 12:51 (six years ago) link
Leave us alone.https://longreads.com/2019/07/30/searching-for-the-sundays/
― Jazzbo, Wednesday, 31 July 2019 17:27 (five years ago) link
^ That's rather good. Can't say I've ever yearned to meet any musician. But can understand how something like RW&A could inspire such a thing.
― Nag! Nag! Nag!, Thursday, 1 August 2019 02:59 (five years ago) link
Gawd this article is the embodiment of “tl;dr”... I can’t even skim it effectively.
― the last Berry La Croix in the work fridge (morrisp), Thursday, 1 August 2019 03:36 (five years ago) link
tl;dr for ya: big obsessive buildup and then he didn't meet them.
― StanM, Thursday, 1 August 2019 04:58 (five years ago) link
It's the story of an adult learning about boundaries (ie, figuring out, thankfully in time, that showing up unannounced on your heroes' doorstep when they clearly value their privacy and have explicitly said as much to you through a proxy is an unambiguously bad idea).
― Apprentice Taintjazzler (Old Lunch), Thursday, 1 August 2019 05:06 (five years ago) link
Seemed like a string of clichés and truisms threaded around a fairly creepy premise - "they've demonstrated they have no interest in publicity or interviews, but if they only met me they'd change their minds, and I won't take no for an answer! Oh I guess they have a right to privacy after all, we've all learned something and let me explain it to you." Yeesh.
― an incoherent crustacean (MatthewK), Thursday, 1 August 2019 05:20 (five years ago) link
And yet, people moaning because he didn't 'deliver'
― Mark G, Thursday, 1 August 2019 07:01 (five years ago) link
wow this guy is the absolute worst
― boxedjoy, Thursday, 1 August 2019 07:24 (five years ago) link
this isn't even about the band, this is an awful guy's attempt to make himself the centre of a story that nobody else wanted to be told
― boxedjoy, Thursday, 1 August 2019 07:25 (five years ago) link
I mean, would I have been thrilled if they consented to an interview? Absolutely. If it turned out that their 'consent' was the result of someone jimmying the lock on their back door at 3 AM and sitting at the foot of their bed until they finally relented? Not so much. Not so much.
― Apprentice Taintjazzler (Old Lunch), Thursday, 1 August 2019 10:27 (five years ago) link
wow this guy is the absolute worsthey, he’s no Abraham Reisman
― quelle sprocket damage (sic), Thursday, 1 August 2019 11:16 (five years ago) link
Well, something I did not expect
BIG MUSIC NEWS: I have a new band with Patrick Hannan of The SUNDAYS! An absolute dream come true. We are called The Wild Fell. More music (and shows) soon, but for now stream (or download) our first song "The Ghost You Love" now! https://t.co/v52c76tsoI— David Obuchowski, Peugeot Haver & Vax Getter (@DavidOfromNJ) June 20, 2022
― Ned Raggett, Monday, 20 June 2022 17:44 (two years ago) link
new song! really lovely, unsurprisingly - came upon it by chance in searching for their music to play. been so long. really great to know they're still going at it. "life goes on"
― Swen, Sunday, 1 September 2024 08:53 (three weeks ago) link
was also excited to see this, but alas, it's a b-side from 1997: https://www.discogs.com/release/787085-The-Sundays-Cry
still great to see it show up. maybe some other archive stuff is forthcoming? they certainly could use a b-sides+rarities comp!
― interstellar anthropologist+music philosopher, (Austin), Sunday, 1 September 2024 14:14 (three weeks ago) link
omg!! i had no idea. but yes agreed.
― Swen, Sunday, 1 September 2024 14:19 (three weeks ago) link