Funky Little Demons | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | 1995 | |||
Length | 47:51[1] | |||
Label | 4AD[2] | |||
Producer | Drostan Madden | |||
The Wolfgang Press chronology | ||||
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Funky Little Demons is the fifth and final studio album by the English band the Wolfgang Press, released in 1995.[3][4]
The album peaked at No. 75 on the UK Albums Chart.[5] The first single was "Going South".[6] The band supported the album by touring North America with Suddenly, Tammy![7][8]
Production
The album was produced by Drostan Madden. It was recorded in the band's own studio, although founding member Mark Cox was often not present for sessions.[9]
The band split the album between songs that were written in a standard verse-chorus manner, and those that were built out of musical soundscapes.[10] "11 Years" is an autobiographical song; "New Glass" is an instrumental track.[11][12]
Critical reception
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [13] |
Calgary Herald | B−[14] |
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [15] |
Knoxville News Sentinel | [11] |
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide | [16] |
The Record | [1] |
The Tampa Tribune | [6] |
Trouser Press wrote: "No longer enigmatic risk-takers, the Wolfgang Press have become just another white post-new wave soul band."[17] The Guardian thought that the album "contains enough elements from pop's more melodic spectrum to lift them squarely out of their old art-terrorism mode."[18] The Calgary Herald deemed it "funky without tryin'," likening it to "Joy Division goes uptown."[14]
The Irish Times determined that Funky Little Demons "sees the Wolfies change from dark, brooding neo industrialists to bright, ironic soul popsters."[19] The Ottawa Citizen stated that "Going South" "is positively contagious, resonating with gravelly lead vocals, piercing slide work and soul-touching background singers."[20] The New York Times noted that Wolfgang Press "has been letting its pop float to the surface of its dirges, ending up with a stylized soul music that sounds like a chunkier version of Roxy Music."[21]
AllMusic wrote that "the album is neither particularly funky nor at all demonic, and in these tamer surroundings, Michael Allen's formerly compelling baritone murmur sounds kind of mannered and pretentious."[13] Joyce Jones, of The Washington Post, listed the album among the 10 best of 1995, writing that Allen "exudes a cantankerous charm, coming off like Nick Cave on Soul Train."[22]
Track listing
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Going South" | |
2. | "11 Years" | |
3. | "Blood Satisfaction" | |
4. | "Chains" | |
5. | "Christianity" | |
6. | "Derek the Confessor" | |
7. | "So Long Dead" | |
8. | "Executioner" | |
9. | "She's So Soft" | |
10. | "New Glass" | |
11. | "Fallen Not Broken" | |
12. | "People Say" |
References
- 1 2 Jaeger, Barbara (March 5, 1995). "PERFECT PICKS, ONE AND ALL". The Record. p. E4.
- ↑ Jarman, David (Jan 1995). "Best New Music". CMJ New Music Monthly (17): 12.
- ↑ Buckley, Peter (April 10, 2003). The Rough Guide to Rock. Rough Guides. ISBN 9781843531050 – via Google Books.
- ↑ Manning, Sarra (Jan 21, 1995). "Albums — Funky Little Demons by The Wolfgang Press". Melody Maker. 72 (3): 32.
- ↑ "WOLFGANG PRESS | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com.
- 1 2 Johnson, Rommie (February 10, 1995). "THE WOLFGANG PRESS, Funky Little Demons". The Tampa Tribune. Friday Extra!. p. 21.
- ↑ Dickinson, Chris (19 May 1995). "Wolfgang Press, Suddenly Tammy!, Sunday at Metro". Chicago Tribune. Friday. p. T.
- ↑ Sherr, Sara (19 May 1995). "WOLFGANG PRESS/PETER HIMMELMAN". The Philadelphia Inquirer. FEATURES WEEKEND. p. 17.
- ↑ Punter, Jennie (15 May 1995). "U.K. band switches dynamic". Toronto Star. p. E5.
- ↑ Darling, Cary (April 28, 1995). "A dour Press sees the light". Orange County Register. p. P49.
- 1 2 Campbell, Chuck (10 Feb 1995). "British group presses ahead with 'Demons'". Knoxville News Sentinel. Detours. p. 3.
- ↑ Morgan, Kendall (February 19, 1995). "The Wolfgang Press Funky Little Demons". The Dallas Morning News. p. 8C.
- 1 2 "Funky Little Demons - The Wolfgang Press | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
- 1 2 McEwen, Mary-Lynn (29 Jan 1995). "RECENT RELEASES". Calgary Herald. p. E2.
- ↑ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 8. MUZE. p. 749.
- ↑ MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. pp. 1241–1242.
- ↑ "Wolfgang Press". Trouser Press. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
- ↑ Chiswick, Linton (11 Jan 1995). "Pop: The Wolfgang Press Jazz Cafe". The Guardian. The Guardian Foreign Page. p. 11.
- ↑ Courtney, Kevin (20 Jan 1995). "The Wolfgang Press: 'Funky Little Demons'". The Irish Times. SOUND & VISION. p. 13.
- ↑ Saxberg, Lynn (21 Jan 1995). "The Wolfgang Press Funky Little Demons". Ottawa Citizen. p. D3.
- ↑ Strauss, Neil (22 May 1995). "Rock on a Spring Evening To Please All the Pessimists". The New York Times. p. C13.
- ↑ Jones, Joyce (29 Dec 1995). "Best of '95". The Washington Post. p. N7.