you can really hear the smiths influence here, by which I mean there's some fantastic vocal performances and really interesting songrwiting throughout but for the love of god i wish they'd cheer up once in a while
in an era where of some of the most middle of the road garbage was being made under the guise of "britpop", international velvet is simply one of the greatest artistic achievements in any medium. Cerys Matthews proving herself to be one of the greatest vocalists who ever lived, singing her heart out over some of the most classic production of the era
it's probably not fair to put this up against the rest of their discography as it's more a comp than an album, but this thing is still really great in isolation. bar 1 or 2 weaker tracks on the back half it's quality throughout, and bleed is maybe a top 3 catatonia song ever. it's a hell of a debut, even for one of the greatest bands ever
noel gallagher would probably be looked at kinder if he hadn't inspired so much garbage like this
tails off a little towards the end but still comfortably bea's best work