The Brilliant Corners
Hooked

Jangle Pop? Post Punk? I have never been comfortable with labels; after all, everything that came out of England in the '80s (for many, "that awful music of the '80s") was labeled that way. Even the minimalist rock of the Feelies was defined as post punk... so call it what you will, in the end, labels are just there to give a rough idea and, if that's the ultimate purpose, I accept them too. So, if you don't like post punk, you can stop reading here because today I'm talking about a band that played "that awful music of the '80s."

In the fiery magma of those years, these Brilliant Corners active between 1983 and 1990 would deserve a place of honor; unfortunately, almost no one knows them. If you listen to them, two things are immediately clear: they played punk and they loved Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground.

We have a handful of records from them (5 L.P.s between 1986 and 1990 plus an earlier EP), a website curated by a die-hard fan, and the mourning of industry insiders for the death of bassist Chris Galvin, who succumbed to a tumor he'd been carrying since quite some time in 1998. Davey Woodward is the singer-guitarist-songwriter (meaning he’s almost everything), and he knows and listens to all kinds of music (after all, the group's name is taken from a famous jazz album by Thelonious Monk). Some may remember Woodward for the Experimental Pop Band founded with the inseparable Galvin in 1995 (a very interesting mix of hip hop, electronics, and Brit Pop, created to finally try reaching commercial success but ultimately came out too well to realistically hope for it).

The Brilliant Corners are one of the many bands that have only seen major labels through binoculars, always remaining on poorly or non-distributed small independent labels. Just think that this "Hooked" last album before the inevitable dissolution never officially arrived in Italy through distribution, and the copies that circulated came from German distribution.

That said, let's move on to the album: the opening track Long "Long Way To Go", is a monotonous and repetitive piece but almost hypnotic; it’s not the highlight of the album, but it will introduce you to Woodward's voice, deep and vaguely monotone as minimalism dictated, the distorted guitar comes in after almost three minutes... if you get there without discomfort, it means this type of music is for you. You will be immediately rewarded with a series of truly beautiful tracks. "Where Are The Supremes Tonight" has a unique start with a rhythm section and voice (and here you discover that poor Galvin knew how to play the bass); it then continues with counterpoints of distorted and dissonant guitars. "The Pope The Monkey And The Queen" is the first single from the album, a finally catchy track, but the guitar has a "sick" riff, just to remind you that yes, it's pop music, but contaminated and high-level. "Sandy Knows" is a clear homage to Lou Reed, Woodward's voice even ends up reminding you of him; it's a small masterpiece. At least five other tracks deserve special mention: "Heaven Inside Her" (the most Pop and immediate of all), "Take The Gun", "Subtle As The Bomb", "I Cried" and the long "I Love As I Lost", where it returns to the repetitive guitar and the sound becomes typical of garage bands but where, in the second half of the track, there is a filtered voice that introduces arpeggios and distortions over an unchanged rhythm, perhaps it is the most complex piece and (incredibly, I have never understood record choices) the second single from the album.

Finally, a note on the lyrics, never banal and often didactic, which those who understand English will have the opportunity to appreciate.

For me, this is, within the musical field it belongs to, a great album that, almost twenty years after its release, definitely deserves a listen. It's unavailable in the CD version (before starting debates about my limited internet knowledge, let me clarify: I haven't found it), but it can be downloaded from the Best Keep Secrets website (excuse me, I don’t mean to advertise, I'm not affiliated with Best Keep Secrets any more than I am with Amazon; it's just extra information that might interest someone). Until next time