| Melting in the Dark | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1996 | |||
| Studio | Fort Apache Studios [1] | |||
| Genre | Rock, alternative rock | |||
| Label | Zero Hour [2] | |||
| Producer | Steve Wynn | |||
| Steve Wynn chronology | ||||
| ||||
Melting in the Dark is an album by the American musician Steve Wynn, released in 1996. [3] [4] It was recorded with a band consisting of all the members of Come. [5] Wynn supported the album by touring with a backing band that included members of Gutterball, Zuzu's Petals, and Love Tractor. [6]
Shortly before making the record, bassist Sean O'Brien and drummer Arthur Johnson quit Come, making this album's recording sessions the last time the original lineup of Come recorded together. [7] [8] Come was more familiar with Wynn's Dream Syndicate work, which in turn influenced the writing and sound of Melting in the Dark. [9] [10] The musicians rehearsed for a day before recording for four days. [11] [12] "Shelley's Blues, Pt. 2" alludes to Mike Nesmith's "Some of Shelly's Blues". [13]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [14] |
| Calgary Herald | [15] |
| Chicago Tribune | [16] |
| Los Angeles Times | [17] |
| Orlando Sentinel | [18] |
Trouser Press wrote: "Although something of a return to the Dream Syndicate’s savage guitar-frenzy, the album is flightier, with dry, laconic vocals, jauntily aggressive tempos and a joyous garage-crud vibe that suggests it was a lot of fun to make." [19] The Chicago Tribune called the album "spare, free-swinging rock studded with sharp hooks." [16] The Orlando Sentinel deemed it "tense but not humorless rock." [18]
Rolling Stone noted that "Come's clamor seems out of place next to Wynn's uninspired retrorock drawl." [20] The Calgary Herald concluded that "Wynn remains an unheralded anti-hero, a rocker who's never been a pretender and shoulda been a contender." [15] The Los Angeles Times determined that "it's at the midway point that Wynn's seething tales of bad love catch fire." [17]
Steven Lawrence Wynn is an American singer, musician and songwriter. He led the band The Dream Syndicate from 1981 to 1989 in Los Angeles, afterward began a solo career, and then reformed The Dream Syndicate in 2012.
Here Come the Miracles is a double album by Steve Wynn. It was released in 2001 on Blue Rose Records. It is the first album in Wynn's "desert trilogy".
Paisley Underground is a musical genre that originated in California. It was particularly popular in Los Angeles, reaching a peak in the mid-1980s. Paisley Underground bands incorporated psychedelia, rich vocal harmonies and guitar interplay, owing a particular debt to 1960s groups such as Love and the Byrds, but more generally referencing a wide range of pop and garage rock revival.
Come is an American alternative rock band, formed in Boston by Thalia Zedek, Chris Brokaw, Arthur Johnson (drums), and Sean O'Brien (bass).
Chris Brokaw is an American musician, best known for his work with the bands Come and Codeine.
Thalia Zedek is an American singer and guitarist. Active since the early 1980s, she has been a member of several notable alternative rock groups, including Live Skull and Uzi both of which, according to Spin magazine, "made big noise in the underground", and Come. Critic Heather Phares writes that Zedek's music can be defined by "the permanent, aching rasp in her voice, her guitar's bluesy bite, the startlingly clear-eyed lyrics about life and loss."
Medicine Show is the second studio album by The Dream Syndicate. It was released in 1984.
Live Skull is a post-punk/experimental rock band from New York City, formed in 1982.
Hanky Panky is the fifth studio album by English band The The, released on 14 February 1995. It consists of cover versions of country singer Hank Williams' songs. It reached No. 28 on the UK Albums Chart. Matt Johnson intended Hanky Panky to be the first of many albums he would record covering the work of iconic musicians. Johnson provided the liner notes to Alone and Forsaken, a compilation of Williams demos that was also released in 1995.
Near-Life Experience is the third studio album by Boston alternative rock band Come, released in May 1996 on Matador Records in the US and on Domino Records in the UK.
After Dark is the second album by the American band Cruzados, released in 1987. "Bed of Lies" reached No. 4 on Billboard's Album Rock Tracks chart; "Small Town Love" peaked at No. 39. The band supported the album with a North American tour that included a leg opening for Fleetwood Mac. They broke up the following year.
11:11 is the debut album by Boston indie rock band Come.
Don't Ask, Don't Tell is the second album by Boston indie rock band Come.
Gently, Down The Stream is the fourth and final album by Boston indie rock band Come.
Live at Raji's is a live album and by Los Angeles band The Dream Syndicate.
Ghost Stories is the fourth studio album by the Los Angeles-based alternative rock band The Dream Syndicate. It was released in 1988, just a year before the band broke up. The album was re-released in 2004, with eight additional tracks recorded live for radio.
Uzi was an American alternative rock band, formed in 1984 in Boston, Massachusetts and disbanded in 1987. The band featured Thalia Zedek, Danny Lee (drums), Randy Barnwell, Bob Young (guitar) and Phil Milstein. Never achieving commercial success during their short period of activity, the band gained a cult following, becoming a part of Boston's underground rock scene.
Been Here and Gone is Thalia Zedek's debut solo album, following the demise of Come, her previous band.
Liars and Prayers is Thalia Zedek's fourth solo album, released four years after Trust Not Those in Whom Without Some Touch of Madness.
Fighting Season is Thalia Zedek's seventh solo album, released two years after Eve.
