The Hunting Picture is another of those late-'90s indie releases that effectively sums up everything that was good about the genre, circa 1993 -- in much the same style as Delta Haymax, Sandpit encapsulates various conventionally indie tones into gorgeous pop songs with just enough contemporary twists to keep them fresh. There's the Superchunky sound of mid-Atlantic power pop on "Drawing Straws" and "Die 501," the ringing guitar dynamics of Small Factory or New Radiant Storm King on tracks like "Bear this Cross" and "The Horns Sing," and the general appeal of Versus, Seam, Scrawl and every other great band to excite indie geeks in the early '90s; Sandpit executes these conventions with enough intelligence (and a large enough share of hooky melodies) to make The Hunting Picture seem less like a retreading of tired ground and more like an earnest rekindling of the genre's finest points. There's also something in the band's tendency toward gentle, shimmering guitars (rather than the aggressive crunch of much early '90s indie) that lends the album a thoughtful and contemporary feel; file alongside Delta Haymax's self-titled album as examples of indie's most worthwhile tendencies, carried into the musical climate of the late '90s. ~ Nitsuh Abebe, All Music Guide
Tracks
Track Title
Composers
Performers
Time
Drawing Straws
Sandpit
Sandpit
(2:47)
Bear This Cross
Sandpit
Sandpit
(2:59)
X-10
Sandpit
Sandpit
(3:32)
The Horns Sing
Sandpit
Sandpit
(4:06)
Die 501
Sandpit
Sandpit
(2:13)
Tractorbeam
Sandpit
Sandpit
(3:39)
Wondertwins Activate
Sandpit
Sandpit
(4:05)
Keflex
Sandpit
Sandpit
(2:34)
Blinders
Sandpit
Sandpit
(4:46)
Three of Wands
Sandpit
Sandpit
(2:38)
The End
Sandpit
Sandpit
(3:35)
Credits
Ross Cockle (Remastering), Peter Jones (Assistant Engineer), Greg Wales (Percussion), Greg Wales (Keyboards), Greg Wales (Producer), Greg Wales (Engineer), Sandpit (Main Performer), Stephanie Ashworth (Guitar (Bass)), Stephanie Ashworth (Keyboards), Stephanie Ashworth (Vocals (Background)), Brendan Webb (Guitar), Brendan Webb (Vocals), Paul Sciacca (Drums), Paul Sciacca (Chromo Harp)
