This is the second Razorcuts album to be re-issued as double vinyl set by Optic Nerve Recordings having originally come out on Creation Records at the start of 1989, which for me is around the time of the infamous incident, that Alan McGee has endlessly brought up every time I've met him since, as he accused me of trying to kill him on the Isle Of Dogs. I have to say I wasn't, but I have had a good laugh at some of those accusations and do remember him being rather freaked out at the time.
The album opens with the melancholic Goodnight England that is far less jangly than anything on the first album Storyteller and it is more like they want to be a Psychedelic Prefab Sprout.
Mile High Towers is almost twee pop a nice song of lust and love for a girl who lives in a tower block with some very cool guitar.
Change is a bit like Peter Perret's The One but with less salacious lyrics, it feels quite laid back and trying to woo her with another nifty guitar solo.
I Won't Let You Down is string laden chamber pop before the term was invented, it has a dark glamour to it as well as some cool trumpet playing.
Waterfall is the first song on the album that jangles like the first album does and well it's a damn fine slice of Jangle pop.
Flowers For Abigail is a sweetly psychedelic love song with a nice paisley pop style break down in the middle and a good insistent riff and the first proper keyboard solo on the album that's just cracking and reminds me a bit of The Playn Jayn.
The b-side opens with Across The Meadow that's as trippily bucolic as the title suggests nice and laid back this is gently euphoric.
Come My Way is a cool harmonica led jangly indie song. Snowbound is a nicely hazy argument of a song as they hope for some forgiveness and another chance.
Steps To The Sea is a really great bit of jangling indie rock that's almost played quickly enough to be getting close to The Wedding Present's pace probably my favorite song on this album.
The album closes with the slow strummed The World Keeps Turning that makes any regrets they have seem to be worth forgiving and moving on from, it also reminds me a bit of the Quinn & Collins tune Burro.
The Bonus album opens with A Is For Alphabet that isn't about Alphabet city but as with most of Razorcuts songs is about another domestic drama as love has inevitably gone wrong again and this has some glorious sha la la backing vocals too.
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Summer In Your Heart has the feel of one of those Dave Kusworth songs full of longing and lust and a damn good jangle. Eight Times Around The World is wistful laid back indie melancholia for a lost love reminiscent of Benny Profane.
Snowbirds Don't Fly was a song that the band chose not to put on the R Is For Razorcuts compilation album that came out in 2002, due to technical problems with the recordings and while it may not be perfect this is still some rather wonderful chamber pop, even if I don't get the Primal Scream comparisons some people make for this song.
The B-side of the Bonus album opens with the funereally paced Invisible a mordant eulogy for a love that's now ghosted them, if you like really downbeat songs this is a classic.
I Heard You The First Time is yet another cool jangly indie love song of that sort where everything isn't always peachy and we have all heard that line shouted at us at some point.
First Day reminds me of seeing The Inspiral Carpets very early in their career when they were still finding their way before the first album came out. This song will grow on you quite quickly.
The bonus album closes with Sometimes that has the feel of something by The Rag Dolls and with a very chamber indie feel to it.
I'd like to thank my old friend Anthony Strutt R.I.P. for his in-depth interview with Gregory Webster back in 2003 for www.pennyblackmusic.co.uk that I mined for additional information for this review.
Find out more at https://opticnerverecordings.com/collections/new-releases/products/razorcuts-the-world-keeps-turning-2lp?variant=31320699306095
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