And Also the Trees (album)

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And Also the Trees
Andalsotrees1.jpg
Studio album by And Also the Trees
Released February 1984
Recorded September 1983 at Southern Studios, London, England
Genre Post-punk, gothic rock
Length30:09
Label Reflex
Producer Lol Tolhurst
And Also the Trees chronology
And Also the Trees
(1984)
Virus Meadow
(1986)

And Also the Trees is the debut studio album by English post-punk band And Also the Trees. It was released in February 1984 by record label Reflex.

Post-punk is a broad type of rock music that emerged from the punk movement of the 1970s, in which artists departed from the simplicity and traditionalism of punk rock to adopt a variety of avant-garde sensibilities and diverse influences. Inspired by punk's energy and DIY ethic but determined to break from rock cliches, artists experimented with sources including electronic music and black styles like dub, funk, free jazz, and disco; novel recording and production techniques; and ideas from art and politics, including critical theory, modernist art, cinema and literature. Communities that produced independent record labels, visual art, multimedia performances and fanzines developed around these pioneering musical scenes, which coalesced in cities such as London, New York, Manchester, Melbourne, Sydney and San Francisco.

And Also the Trees band

And Also the Trees are an English post-punk band, formed in 1979 in Inkberrow, Worcestershire. They are characterised by their poetic lyrics and evocative music which are strongly influenced by the native English countryside.

Contents

Background

The album was recorded in September 1983 and produced by the Cure's Lol Tolhurst. Their sound stood out from that of their gothic rock peers, as it was greatly influenced by the rural surroundings of Worcestershire (the band's place of origin), poetry (on the lyrical side) and Old England. [1] John Peel described their sound as being "too English for the English". [2]

The Cure English rock band

The Cure are an English rock band formed in Crawley in 1976. The band has experienced several line-up changes, with vocalist, guitarist, and principal songwriter Robert Smith being the only constant member. The Cure first began releasing music in the late 1970s with their debut album Three Imaginary Boys (1979); this, along with several early singles, placed the band as part of the post-punk and new wave movements that had sprung up in the wake of the punk rock revolution in the United Kingdom. During the early 1980s, the band's increasingly dark and tormented music was a staple of the emerging style of music known as gothic rock.

Lol Tolhurst British drummer and keyboardist

Laurence Andrew "Lol" Tolhurst is a founding member and the former drummer and keyboardist of British band The Cure. He left the Cure in 1989 and was later involved in the band Presence and his current project, Levinhurst. In 2011, he was temporarily reunited with the Cure for a number of shows playing the band's earlier work.

Worcestershire County of England

Worcestershire is a county in the West Midlands of England. Between 1974 and 1998, it was merged with the neighbouring county of Herefordshire as Hereford and Worcester.

Release

And Also the Trees was released in February 1984. It was reissued in 1992 on the German label Normal Records.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [1]

AllMusic wrote, "While lacking in immediately catchy songs – partially due to the fact that at this point the band generally favoured series of verses or poetry without rhyme to more conventional lyric structures – the album still kicks up some smoke". [1]

AllMusic online music database

AllMusic is an online music database. It catalogs more than 3 million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musical artists and bands. It launched in 1991, predating the World Wide Web.

Track listing

Side A
No.TitleLength
1."So This Is Silence"3:10
2."Talk Without Words"3:19
3."Midnight Garden"4:33
4."The Tease the Tear"2:53
Side B
No.TitleLength
1."Impulse of Man"4:44
2."Shrine"3:38
3."Twilights Pool"4:38
4."Out of the Moving Life of Circles"4:06

Personnel

Simon Huw Jones British singer

Simon Huw Jones or Simon Jones is an English vocalist, lyricist and photographer, best known as the singer with the band And Also the Trees.

Justin Jones (guitarist) English rock guitarist

Justin Jones is an English rock guitarist and musician best known for his work with And Also the Trees.

Steven Burrows British musician

Steven Burrows is an English bassist and musician.

Technical
Record producer individual who oversees and manages the recording of an artists music

A record producer or music producer oversees and manages the sound recording and production of a band or performer's music, which may range from recording one song to recording a lengthy concept album. A producer has many, varying roles during the recording process. They may gather musical ideas for the project, collaborate with the artists to select cover tunes or original songs by the artist/group, work with artists and help them to improve their songs, lyrics or arrangements.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Raggett, Ned. "And Also the Trees – And Also the Trees : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards : AllMusic". AllMusic . Retrieved 18 February 2013.
  2. "And Also the Trees – OX 2008". andalsothetrees.info. Archived from the original on 16 February 2012. Retrieved 18 February 2013.