Inspiral Carpets CD Review
Inspiral Carpets
Reviewed by Colin Hewitt
Together with The Stone Roses, Happy Mondays, James and 808 State, The Inspiral Carpets formed the solid backbone of the 1990’s Manchester music scene. Whilst failing to maintain the same profile as some of their contempories any review of music culture from that time period is incomplete without the instantly recognisable sound of the Inspiral’s jangly guitars and the drone of Clint Boon’s infectious psycodelic keyboards.
After regularly listening to the likes of ‘This is How it Feels’, ‘She Comes in The Fall’, ‘Saturn 5’, and many others from various ‘Madchester’ compilations I have scattered around the house and car it seems strange, after a hiatus of over twenty years, hearing new material from the band.
This self-titled ‘Inspiral Carpets’ CD released on Cherry Red Records, may contains twelve new, unfamiliar tracks however the familiar whirling sound remains constant throughout; as the saying goes, same-same but different.
Since their last album, (1994’s Devil Hopping), vocalist Tom Hingley has left the band, to be replaced by their original lead singer Stephen Holt (and there will always be arguments regarding whether Hingley or Holt is the better vocalist).
For me, stand out tracks from the new collection are ‘Spitfire’, ‘Monochrome’, and ‘Let You Down’ (which features another Manchester legend, the performance poet John Cooper Clarke). Existing Inspiral Carpet fans will love this album, and with sufficient exposure they might garner some new fans.
It is clear from the informative sleeve notes that the band thoroughly enjoyed the process of making this album. It’s great to hear new material from a brilliant band, talent always shines through and I sincerely hope it isn’t long until we hear more.
Track List:
1. MONOCHROME
2. SPITFIRE
3. YOU’RE SO GOOD FOR ME
4. A TO Z OF MY HEART
5. CALLING OUT TO YOU
6. FLYING LIKE A BIRD
7. CHANGES
8. HEY NOW
9. OUR TIME
10. FOREVER HERE
11. LET YOU DOWN (featuring John Cooper Clarke)
12. HUMAN SHIELD
Rating: 4/5
RRP: £10.95
Available to buy from Cherry Red Records here.
