1993, Music

Perfect Teeth (1993) by Unrest

Imagine if Television were really an indie pop band with an occasional female lead singer and maybe you get some idea of what Unrest sound like on this record. Not really, actually, as that’s a pretty poor comparison for many of the songs here, but it’s the best I can do at the moment.

Unrest appear to be an indie pop band in the vein of Luna – or rather Luna is more in their vein – but who play a faster, slightly punkier variety of the music. (Again, the comparison with Luna isn’t really fair for a number of reasons but it was the thing that came to mind.) But the distinguishing thing for me with their sound, at least on this record, is their guitars which, on the ballads particularly, remind me a lot of Television without the solos, or a more melodic, faster and accessible version of Slint circa Spiderland.

This is the only Unrest record I’ve ever heard so I have no idea if this is how they sounded like throughout their career. And I must point out that on the faster tracks they sound much more like a moderately punk inflected indie pop band, than those other bands I’ve mentioned; for some reason it’s the ballads with the intricate guitars that stay in my mind and I kind of forget about the other songs.

So what am I saying exactly? I guess I’m saying that there’s more here than a typical indie pop record for someone like me, who does not love this genre. I think that’s what I’m saying.

All lyrics written by Mark Robinson, except “Light Command” and “Stylized Ampersand” by Bridget Cross and “West Coast Love Affair” by Phil Krauth; all music composed by Unrest.

  1. “Angel I’ll Walk You Home” 3:21
  2. “Cath Carroll” 3:15
  3. “So Sick” 3:06
  4. “Light Command” 4:14
  5. “Food & Drink Synthesizer” 1:56
  6. “Soon It Is Going to Rain” 6:30
  7. “Make Out Club” 4:19
  8. “Breather X.O.X.O.” 5:49
  9. “West Coast Love Affair” 4:07
  10. “Six Layer Cake” 3:32
  11. “Stylized Ampersand” 3:43

  • Bridget Cross – bass guitar, lead vocals (1, 4, 11), backing vocals (8), guitar (11)
  • Phil Krauth – drums, piano, guitar, lead vocals (9)
  • Mark Robinson – lead vocals, guitar

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