The Raincoats

Great cd from a very influential artist

Item was exactly was described . I'd buy again.

If you're looking for the best of art-punk/post-punk, look no further. Diverse instrumentation that creates an overpowering wall of sound, infectious grooves from the bass and drums, fantastic lyrics and vocals. What more can you ask for?

Love this album

Friend requested this and she was happy,. thank you, Amazon, or making it so easy,m Michael goodnight Amarizon danke, MHS

when laurie anderson called language a virus i always thought it the right contrast with music, which can sometimes get inside your head and just refuse to be evicted. possession is nine-tenths of the law -- a song can own your head for months. be warned, the raincoats may sound primitive at first, but if you listen to their first record just a few times, they will own you. it doesn't matter if you haven't listened to them for months or, i suspect, for years: all of sudden, out of nowhere, one of their melodies will decide to reassert its rights to your head and there it will sit, playing itself over and over again, which, in the raincoats' case, is good.outside of that, the raincoats are hard to put in words. they do come out of punk, but their melodies are pure pop and delivered in complex harmonies. they are sometimes off key and then sometimes on. some of the songs are easily recognized punk like "fairytale in the supermarket" and then others just seem to be beautiful noise architecture like "no side to fall in". the raincoats are high-pitched harmonies, jagged guitars, a violin and ragged and sometimes pounding rhythms. but descriptions don't matter because in the end you hear it as absolutely beautiful. do yourself a favor and give it a try.

Any one seeking 'perfectly crafted pop perfection' can look away now because this album provides music that is energetically wild, and chaotic, bordering on the ramshackle. But that's the point: It's supposed to be like that!The album is, perhaps, best known for the cover of 'Lola', but it's just one of the highlights. The use of scratchy violin lends a manic punk-folk edge to some of the tunes and there is an odd mix of musical styles here. It isn't perfect, but music like this isn't about perfection.If I had to compare it to anyone, I would say maybe, The Slits or Gang of Four.At the time of writing, this album was unavailable through Amazon but I discovered that it(and all the other Raincoats Albums)can be obtained(new!)from the Rough Trade shop(by phone or online)and for sensible money. So go on, treat yourself.

...I'll give it a try anyway, because this album is just so damn good. Here goes: Alternative, independent, punk, what-have-you - for me, these types of music can ultimately be pared down to the idea of freshness. They aim to go about music in their own way not because they are self-important or particularly rebellious or prideful, but because listeners' ears beg for the new. Listening to The Raincoats reminded me of why I like this type of music; they do an especially excellent job because, although novel, they don't seem interested in an outright assault of innovation/experimentation. They manage to achieve a listenable yet stimulating balance between the straight-forward and the eclectic. Sure, I love the avant-garde in music, the relentless pursuit of sounds that have not yet been made, but even that can wear thin with time. And when it does, The Raincoats are there to remind us that genuinely interesting songwriting will always be around.