youlookgoodinblack

“My first introduction to U2 was listening to a cassette that had at some point been chewed up by a dog. It sounded like a recording of a My Bloody Valentine rehearsal or something, full of incredible whooshing noises and vibrato. Imagine my disappointment on hearing the correct version a few years later.”

The above quote from Gruff Rhys from the band, Super Furry Animals, about hearing an incorrect version of U2 for the first time is exactly what I faced when I heard the Britpop also-rans, South, at a record store listening station a few years back. I had read that their debut album was produced by James Lavelle (of Mo’ Wax records / Unkle / once-time collaborator with dj Shadow fame), so I thought it may be decent. Upon listening to the album in the store, it sounded absolutely incredible to thine ears and necessitated an immediate purchase.

Upon reaching my home base and putting the album in my stereo, I promptly realized the sound currently emanating from my speaker system sounded nothing like those heard previously. Gone was the righteously giant distortation, constant buzz, and hazed vocals, it was now all crystal clear with a horrible sheen of lameness. It turns out the headphones at the store were in a horrible state and their tiny speakers broken beyond repair, producing sounds not intended by band or label. Yet they yielded exactly what I thought this band should sound like. I still have the record on my shelf and haven’t listened to it in years, but that album’s fictional greatness exists entirely in my own mind.