Similar Albums:
- Artist: The Soft Boys
- Rating:
- Release Date: 1980
- Total Time: 67:35
- Genre: Rock
Review
After recording the material that would later comprise the bulk of Invisible Hits, the Soft Boys recorded their masterpiece, the shimmering neo-psychedelic Underwater Moonlight. Essentially, the band didn't change their style for the record -- they merely perfected it. The Soft Boys don't hide their influences -- whether its the ringing guitars of the Beatles and Byrds or the surreal humor of John Lennon and Syd Barrett -- but they assimilate them, resulting in a fresh, edgy take on '60s guitar pop. Robyn Hitchcock's subject matter tends to be more explicitly weird and absurdist than his influences, as titles like "I Wanna Destroy You," "Old Pervert," and "Queen of Eyes" indicate -- even "Kingdom of Love" equates romance to bugs crawling under your skin. But the lyrics aren't the only thing that are edgy -- the music is too. The Soft Boys play pop hooks as if they were punk rock. "I Wanna Destroy You" isn't overtly threatening like their post-punk contemporaries, but with its layered guitar hooks and dissonant harmonies, it is equally menacing. Furthermore, the group can twist its songs inside out and then revert them to their original form, as evidenced by "Insanely Jealous." Although the neo-psychedelic flourishes are fascinating, the key to record's success is how each song is constructed around rock-solid hooks and melodies that instantly work their way into the subconscious. In fact, that's the most notable thing about Underwater Moonlight -- it updates jangling, melodic guitar pop for the post-punk world, which made it a touchstone for much of the underground pop of the mid-'80s, particularly R.E.M. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music GuideTracks
| Track Title | Composers | Performers | Time |
| I Wanna Destroy You | Robyn Hitchcock | The Soft Boys | (2:52) |
| Kingdom of Love | Robyn Hitchcock | The Soft Boys | (4:11) |
| Positive Vibrations | Robyn Hitchcock | The Soft Boys | (3:10) |
| I Got the Hots | Robyn Hitchcock | The Soft Boys | (4:43) |
| Insanely Jealous | Robyn Hitchcock | The Soft Boys | (4:12) |
| Tonight | Robyn Hitchcock | The Soft Boys | (3:44) |
| You'll Have to Go Sideways | Robyn Hitchcock | The Soft Boys | (2:57) |
| Old Pervert | Robyn Hitchcock, Kimberley Rew, |
The Soft Boys | (3:52) |
| Queen of Eyes | Robyn Hitchcock | The Soft Boys | (1:58) |
| Underwater Moonlight | Robyn Hitchcock | The Soft Boys | (4:17) |
| Vegetable Man [*] | Syd Barrett | The Soft Boys | (2:59) |
| Strange [*] | Robyn Hitchcock | The Soft Boys | (2:59) |
| Only the Stones Remain [*] | Robyn Hitchcock | The Soft Boys | (2:50) |
| Where Are the Prawns? [*] | Robyn Hitchcock | The Soft Boys | (6:04) |
| Dreams [*] | Robyn Hitchcock | The Soft Boys | (4:37) |
| Black Snake Diamond Rock [*] | Robyn Hitchcock | The Soft Boys | (4:24) |
| There's Nobody Like You [*] | Robyn Hitchcock | The Soft Boys | (3:11) |
| Song No. 4 [*] | Robyn Hitchcock | The Soft Boys | (4:35) |
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