Read my reviews of albums released by The Raincoats:
1979: The Raincoats (9/10)
Naïve rock has already been a thing for over a decade before The Raincoats. But nobody (that I know of) had managed to connect the naïve approach with the zeitgeist like these gals. And it’s this approach that makes them stand out from the other post-punk bands… because nobody sounds like them. It’s this blend of post-punk and naïve rock that makes this record so engaging but also so seemingly unique. And the subversiveness of the lyrics (and that cover…) makes it all better.
Read my reviews of albums released in 1979.
1981: Odyshape (10/10)
I loved the debut, a seemingly perfect combination of naïve rock and punk energy. But this is another thing entirely – shockingly different.
To call this music post punk is to admit that we don’t know what to call it. It’s not post punk in any sense, except that, once upon a time, maybe The Raincoats were a punk band, and they put this out later.
The world music influence here is on the magnitude of Eno/Talking Heads, but the approach is so far from that you’d be forgiven for thinking that a crazy comparison. This is, for the most part, a sedate, almost folk record that has more in common with the Incredible String Band than it does with Post Punk and New Wave. (But I like this Raincoats record more than any ISB record I’ve heard.)
Really just a unique, beautiful thing that is a remarkable departure from their debut.
Listen to me rave about The Raincoats or read my reviews of music from 1981.
1984: Moving (???)
This one has been on the list for a long time but I’ve never gotten around to it.
Read my reviews of 1984 albums.
1996: Looking in the Shadows (???)
Like so many reunion albums, I haven’t listened to it.