ORANGE JUICE - Ostrich Churchyard

Original recordings Postcard Records 1980-1981
CD Postcard Records 1992



"In 1980, indiepop as we have come to know it did not exist yet. Someone had to invent it, and a strong case can be made that Orange Juice did just that. Self-glossed as 'the Sound Of Young Scotland' as printed on the hand-folded sleeves of those early Postcard singles and inspired by the DIY ethos of punk, yet weaned on classic pop of all sorts—from the Byrds to the Velvet Underground to Chic and Motown—Edwyn Collins & Co. threw it all together and made it work: pop art imagery, funk and soul music, classic balladry, a decidedly romantic lyrical bent, a slight absurdist streak, an almost willful ignorance to learn to play properly, and an undeniable sense of energy and enthusiasm for their craft. They were rough around the edges and weren’t afraid to miss some notes; yet unlike their post-punk contemporaries, they strove toward classic pop. Led by the enigmatic Collins, whose distinctive voice was half-Bing Crosby and half-Mrs. Miller, the band invented campy romantic pop years before Morrissey and Marr perfected it. They were truly original in every sense of the word. (...) Ostrich Churchyard captures the band in LP mode and running the gamut from the tear-jerking In A Nutshell to the uplifting Byrdsian jangle of Dying Day to the discofied Satellite City and even a seasonal take on Vic Godard’s Holiday Hymn. Orange Juice had it all, and it is all on display here".
(stylusmagazine.com)

ENJOY


Falling and Laughing