Arriving after a Steve Albini-produced trove of mopey wonder (1991's Seamonsters) and a collection of relatively more lighthearted singles (1992's Hit Parade), the Wedding Present's fourth album Watusi found David Gedge and company hitting a particularly brilliant stride in terms of songwriting and creative development alike. Produced by Seattle personality Steve Fisk in a time when "grunge" was a breathless buzzword, there's some rock muscle happening on tracks like "So Long, Baby" and "Shake It" that veers more toward flannel-friendly guitar tones than C-86 fuzz, but the jangly melancholy of the uptempoed "Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah" finds the perfect balance between the two, with booming drums locking in with spindly guitar lines and electrified organ. Tracks like "Spangle" tap into the band's trademark way with syrupy slow songs of crushing heartbreak, this time supported by the scratchy tones of Fisk's church organ drum machine. Watusi is one of the more dynamic Wedding Present albums, with both songs and production stretching into less predictable territory, presenting Gedge’s by now familiar ruminations on difficult love and disintegrating relationships with an extra dose of daring. The band's straying from the formula is at its best in forms as divergent as the long fits of Velvets-like guitar squall on "Catwoman," and the tender, a cappella back and forth between Gedge and Beat Happening vocalist Heather Lewis on "Click Click," the album’s finest and most impacti Moment
The Wedding Present's second proper studio album, Bizarro cut down a bit on the frenetic jangle the band was known for in its early days and replaced it with healthy doses of darkness and power. Adding some fuzzy, crunchy distortion to give the guitars some hefty impact, slowing the tempos down to speeds that allow vocalist David Gedge to squeeze more heartbroken despair and bleak sarcasm out of every line, and generally upping their game in every way, the album is the fullest realization of the Wedding Present's sound yet. Leading off with the unstoppably hooky "Brassneck," which features a brilliant Gedge reading of lines that rhyme "grow up" and "throw up," the album plays like a collection of thematically related singles. The most single-y among them is "Kennedy," which has some brilliant singalong lyrics and an intensely dramatic guitar strum buildup that crescendos into a maelstrom of sound. The rest of the record isn't far behind; whether it's the sparse "What Have I Said Now?" or the slowly grinding "Bewitched," one could extract any song and it would feel like a highlight -- even the epic-length "Take Me!," which closes the album in a fury of strums, drum fills, and chugging bass that builds and builds until it seems like the song is going to levitate and take the listener right along with it. The Wedding Present didn't necessarily need to improve their already winning template, but they did and it pays off big time on Bizarro.
The Wedding Present were always the more sensitive student’s band of choice, so much so that at times they were in danger of slipping into self-parody. Always clad in black and featuring songs with unremittingly grinding guitar, topped off with David Gedge’s distinctive voice singing songs about being dumped by his Girlfriend, they were often the whipping boy for the more cynical members of the music press. Yet the Weddoes’ self-deprecation (they once brought out an official t-shirt baldy stating ‘All The Songs Sound The Same’) and sheer power of albums such as Seamonsters and Bizarro always set them Apart from more run of the mill groups. When Gedge broke up the band to start Cinerama, he seemed more settled: a more poppy element was brought into the music and he actually seemed – gasp – happy. Cinerama Started off very different to the Wedding Present, with John Barry style melodies and string sections. However, over the course of their three albums, the crunching guitars and dark songwriting crept back in until the band’s last album Torino was virtually indistinguishable from Gedge’s old group. Now, nine years after the last album Saturnalia, it’s come full circle and Gedge has reclaimed the Wedding Present name – when you hear that his 14 year Relationship has recently broken up, you can guess what’s coming. Just one listen to Take Fountain will reassure you that although the years may have passed, age has not mellowed David Gedge: nobody writes about relationship break-ups quite like him. Musically, this is probably the most varied Wedding Present yet. Recent Single Interstate 5 broods along magnificently for around six minutes, and then turns very weird for its coda – all spaghetti western theme and mariachi horns. Mars Sprinkles Down Upon Me is completely different, a beautiful ballad which addresses the problems of staying friends with an ex (“how can I shake his hand when it’s been all over your skin?”). Don’t Touch That Dial (a re-recoding of an old Cinerama single) and Ringway To Seatec are on slightly more traditional ‘buzzy guitar rock’ territory, while Always The Quiet One and I’m From Further North Than You show off Gedge’s more poppy side. The latter in fact, is one of the best things he’s ever done, a funny bittersweet tale of a Relationship gone wrong, involving red bikinis and weird pornography which had memorable days, “but just not very many”. As with Morrissey‘s comeback album last year, you sometimes get the nagging feeling that Gedge is too old to be writing about heartache and Relationship break-ups, but he does it so well that it never feels false. Besides, you’re never too old to have your heart broken are you? In the wake of John Peel’s death, it’s fitting that one of his favourite bands have reformed and released an album that stands shoulder to shoulder with their best work. With many of their early ’90s contemporaries reforming (The Wonder Stuff, Pop Will Eat Itself, Pixies), Take Fountain is the perfect reminder that David Gedge is still at the height of his powers.
SIT YOURSELF down, put down anything sharp and prepare the valium drip - this may come as a bit of a shock. It's like this: for the past ten years David Gedge has been one of the most consistently brilliant and grossly underrated songwriters in Britain. Still conscious? Then brace yourself because, what's more, he's just written one of the best pop albums of the year. That's DAVID GEDGE. From THE WEDDING PRESENT. You heard. Surprising news, obviously, since this is the band that have defined the word 'cult' ever since 'C86' was buried under the weight of its own cagoule. There were countless limited-edition seven-inches, gigs packed with new songs and no encores and a stout refusal TO PLAY 'Kennedy' or 'My Favourite Dress' on request. Plus, every month in 1992 a bunch of spacemen would appear on TOTP to plug a single that sold out two weeks previously. For a decade in the post-credibility wilderness Gedge hid his genius with masterful precision, smothering tunes from the gods with huge guitar noises and the vocals of a ruptured bricklayer. No wonder the kids were baffled. Then came Urusei Yatsura.Finally, 'C96' has made elder statesmen of the Weddoes and 'Saturnalia' is their new manifesto. "Make a movie today!/Buy a red Chevrolet!!!" Dave howls as the chorus to first single '2, 3, Go' rockets off into speed-pop heaven and the Weddoes become the grinning pop imps that 'Boing!', 'California' and even 'Shatner' only hinted at. Optimism? Commerciality? FUN!?! Whatever happened to standing outside girls' houses stabbing pins into a wax effigy of HIM? Ahh, seems Dave Gedge has grown up, lost his spots and gained a few lines of experience. He's no longer the angst-ridden teenage dump magnet that helped many through their Clearasil phase. Sure, he's still an emotional punchbag of the highest order, it's just that his inner turmoil has matured to the point where he can - gasp! - cope with it. The REM-ish twangler 'Montreal' finds him resigning himself to his loved-one's buggering off abroad with subdued grace, while 'Jet Girl''s tale of a relationship-hopping emotiopath is draped over a cheery romp of hula guitars and classic hooks. In fact, the only time Dave lets loose a GUTTERAL cry of primal angst occurs during closer '50s', and even that's offset by the melancholic dancehall-waltz verses. The true position of Gedge's head, however, is contained in 'Kansas', a rampant pop beauty in which Dave packs his bags at a moment's notice and flies off to an unknown future - a spangly new beginning, who cares where. After all, while his guitarshave stayed mammoth-proportioned and his vocals still gargle from a hard day's bricklaying, ten years on, pop music is slowly coming around to his way of thinking again. So hook UP THE Valium drip NOW because The Wedding Present's time might just have come once more. Shocked? You WILL be, my dears, you will be...
Apart from the dark and majestic Seamonsters, George Best is easily the best possible Introduction To the Wedding Present's work; it's also a fine introduction to the entire C-86 scene that had such an impact on British rock. It would be nearly impossible to name the standout tracks, since the band's strength lies in the fact that every tune is so solid: it should suffice to mention "Everyone Thinks He Looks Daft," "My Favourite Dress," "Anyone Can Make a Mistake," a cover of the Beatles' "Getting Better," and a French version of "Why Are You Being So Reasonable Now?" (the last two featuring Heavenly/Talulah Gosh singer Amelia Fletcher) -- then remember that nearly every song in the Wedding Present catalog is just as good as those that have been picked out as singles. This Here is a definite classic. [A 23-track reissue compiled the album plus its first two singles: "Nobody's Twisting Your Arm" and "Why Are You Being So Reasonable Now?"]
