Jean-Paul Sartre Experience

The final album by this New Zealand rock quartet is their most full-blown production; leaving the lo-fi minimalist pop sound of previous efforts behind, the group amped up their delicate pop sound, going more for of a Pixies or My Bloody Valentine tone. At a strident attempt to break through into the mainstream, the group vanished into a cloud of critical acclaim and promise shortly after this album was released. The quartet personified the cult New Zealand label Flying Nun's sound and simplified the lush guitar scapes that their fellows, Bailter Space and Straitjacket Fits, may have deemed too edgy and complex for the mainstream. Bleeding Star, in fact, hit the charts in New Zealand and won numerous awards. The album's only downfall may be that it is a little over-produced, losing some of the quirky edges that made the Kiwi pop scene so exciting and distinctive in the '90s. For the rest it is a collection well deserving of the ears of those who love the melancholy/adrenaline mix of Yo la Tengo, Straitjacket Fits, the Chills, and the Pixies. ~ Skip Jansen, All Music Guide