Therapy? - Troublegum
Drums,saw-buzz guitars and attitude - this album has it all in spades. This disc easily occupies a position in my personal all time top 10.
Northern Ireland's finest hit both their commercial and musicial with 'Troublegum'.Before this album, Therapy? had been building a sizable following with their brand of feedback induced songs and also by supporting any half decent band that toured Ireland. Amongst these were everyone from The Ramones through to Neds Atomic Dustbin.
It was particularly after supporting The Ramones that Therapy? began to introduce some punk melody into their songwriting. They also began to have some chart success with a couple of EP's that preceded 'Troublegum'. Notably with the 'Shortsharpshock' EP which peaked at No.9 on the UK national charts. The lead song from the EP 'Screamager' would appear on the album.
'Screamager' is a song of the highest qualIty, the immense riff and also the way the drumming, by Fye Ewing, carried the melody was particularly impressive. The lyrics were scornful and spoke to anyone who had worthy issues (yep, that was me!).
Promo Video Of Screamager
The first single released from the album was 'Nowhere', a huge sounding song that was everywhere at the beginning of 1994, especially on the rebranded Radio One.
The next single 'Die Laughing' was even better. The claustrophobic sound of the verses that leads into the arms in the air, fist pumping chorus.
However fans of their earlier noisy efforts (Innocent X) were not left out. 'Femtex' was a throwback to that time with it's noisy metalic sound and a hint of melody.
The album is full of highlights, from the opener 'Knives', 'Hellbelly', 'Trigger Inside' - the classics just kept on coming.
The band also pull off a great cover song as well. Andy Cairns vocals on the Joy Divison's 'Isolation' sound as tortured as Ian Curtis's original. The song is just immeasurable.
One thing, in hindsight, is the lyrics - on most of the album they seem to be about being a slightly leftfield teenager fighting with being a bit of a loser in love, unworthyness about oneself and a lot of self abuse. This I feel sat well with the generation of that time.
I cannot recommend this album highly enough. It is a great snapshot of a good time for the, then, new British metal bands like The Wildhearts, Terrorvision, Senseless Things and Skunk Anasie.
Why I ♥ This Album.
1993/4 I was living quite a bohemian lifestyle in Newbury. I had moved into a wonderful house full of colourful characters, who lived many different types of lifestyles. As a collective we were self named as 'The Number 7 Crew'. Amongst the frequent visitors to 'no 7' were a pair of brothers from Hungerford, Jon & Simon Ainge.
Despite being related they were very different from each other, Jon was a little party animal and was an outrageous flirt around the ladies, Simon was more studious but nevertheless still a party animal in his own way. Simon and I found a lot of common ground in music and his knowledge of it was only second to mine! (He will no doubt argue he knew more and was cooler.)
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| Couldn't find a photo of Simon, so next best thing MOBY! |
As I was a fairly straight forward Metal-head his genre of choice was more noise led, eg. anything released on Earache records/Big Black etc. I remember Simon once gave me a compilation tape (not of the loving kind) with some of his favourite bands on. This opened my eyes and ears to some great bands, who I still love to this day.
The tape turned me onto Butthole Surfers, Jesus Lizard, Fishbone, Therapy? and the many works of uber-musician Steve Albini. If it wasn't for this tape I would possibly be as narrow minded about music as some of my friends still are!!!! (hee hee)
Simon said that I could have a copy of any of the albums from the artists on the tape. The one I was desperate for was Therapy?'s but alas it hadn't been released yet.
What a tease...so I had to wait. It was definatly worth it though.
It has been good catching up with Simon recently via FB and talking music again. I am glad that both of our eclectic tastes are still intact and thriving.
Also pleasing is to see that both Jon & Simon seem to have settled down and turned out NORMAL(ish) .
I was also fortunate to see Therapy? in 1994 at Reading Festival where they played a killer set, complete with a celloist and vocals from the great Lesley Rankine (Ruby).
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