The Delmontes

During their lifetime the Delmontes only released two singles through Rational Records, but LTM's continuing work in excavating some of the more esoteric corners of post-punk resulted in this comprehensive overview of the band's work, from those two singles to some of the last demos the group worked on a couple of years later. The band's original sound veered towards combining just-trippy-enough psychedelia with a cooler, restrained approach that fit in perfectly with peers from the Teardrop Explodes (who invited them onto a summer 1981 tour) to Young Marble Giants. Their sound is audible throughout Carousel, with the compressed, heavily treated riff on "Tous Les Soirs" a great example of how the two approaches could easily blend. Lead singer Julie Hepburn's voice also captures an era of strong but not strident vocalists, commanding but never brusque, as the dreamy ballad "Infectious Smile" shows very well. The very Nuggets-like swirl of "Don't Cry Your Tears," the band's second and final single, and "So It's Not To Be" are crackerjack standouts in a brace of strong early efforts (credit has to go to the spry performances of all the musicians throughout, with a special nod to Bernice Simpson's crisp drumming and Mike Berry's demi-surf style guitar). The first nine songs on the album cover the singles and associated tracks recorded during those sessions, while the following four cover tracks recorded after their summer 1981 high-water mark, including the fantastic "Love in a Guillotine." The remaining songs mostly document the group's sporadic 1982 recordings, some recorded with newer members, exploring slicker but no less attractive styles that flirt with reggae, bossa nova and low-key soul, with standouts including "Thursday" and "Everyday." Alternate version of "Don't Cry Your Tears" and "Ga Ga" complete the disc, while as always with LTM, James Nice's liner notes are exhausting and full of enjoyable details about the band's travails. ~ Ned Raggett, All Music Guide