| The Decline and Fall of Heavenly | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 28 September 1994 | |||
| Recorded | April – June 1994 | |||
| Studio | Shaw Sound, Fulham | |||
| Genre | Twee, indie pop | |||
| Label | Sarah SARAH 623 | |||
| Producer | Ian Shaw | |||
| Heavenly chronology | ||||
| ||||
The Decline and Fall of Heavenly is the third studio album by British indie pop band Heavenly. It was released in September 1994 by Sarah Records [1] in the UK and K Records in the United States. [2]
Four songs were re-recorded for a John Peel radio session in June 1994: the instrumental "Sacramento", "Itchy Chin", "Doomster (Three Star Compartment)", and "Sperm Meets Egg, So What?". [2]
A Japanese reissue on Quattro added five tracks from two British EPs (also released on one CD by both Sarah and K [2] ): "Atta Girl", "Dig Your Own Grave", "P.U.N.K. Girl", "Hearts and Crosses", and "So".
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B [4] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [5] |
Entertainment Weekly states that the music "adds spice with two harmonizing female vocalists sweetly delivering dry, sarcastic lyrics about things like trying to get a lover to leave so you can wake up alone." [4] From AllMusic: "... a cleanly produced sequence of bouncy, guitar-based pop songs—and fans of the band know just how good they are at writing bouncy pop songs. The only problem with The Decline and Fall is that it's so painfully short." [6]
Heavenly are a twee pop band, originally forming in Oxford, England in 1989. Amelia Fletcher (vocals/guitar), Mathew Fletcher, Peter Momtchiloff (guitar) and Robert Pursey (bass) had all been members of Talulah Gosh, a key member of the C86 scene.
Twee pop is a subgenre of indie pop that originates from the 1986 NME compilation C86. It is an offshoot of the twee movement, characterized by its simplicity and perceived innocence, some of its defining features are boy–girl harmonies, catchy melodies, and lyrics about love. For many years, prominent independent record labels associated with twee pop were Sarah Records and K Records.
Pop-punk is a rock music fusion genre that combines elements of punk rock with power pop or pop. It is defined by its fast-paced, energetic tempos, and emphasis on classic pop songcraft, as well as adolescent and anti-suburbia themes. It is distinguished from other punk-variant genres by drawing more heavily from 1960s bands such as the Beatles, the Kinks, and the Beach Boys. The genre has evolved throughout its history, absorbing elements from new wave, college rock, ska, rap, emo, boy band pop and even hardcore punk. It is sometimes considered interchangeable with power pop and skate punk.
K Records is an independent record label in Olympia, Washington founded in 1982. Artists on the label included early releases by Beck, Modest Mouse and Built to Spill. The record label has been called "key to the development of independent music" since the 1980s.
Tiny Music... Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop is the third studio album by the American rock band Stone Temple Pilots, released on March 26, 1996 through Atlantic Records. After a brief hiatus throughout 1995, the band regrouped to record the album together at Westerly Ranch in Santa Ynez, California, where they also lived at the time. Like all of the band's albums up to that point, production was handled by Brendan O'Brien.
Ivy was an American indie pop band composed of Andy Chase, Adam Schlesinger, and Dominique Durand. They were active between 1994 and 2012.
Cub was an indie pop band from Vancouver, British Columbia, that formed in 1992 and disbanded in 1997. They played a melodic, jangly form of pop punk they called "cuddle-punk".
Jennifer Diane Lewis is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and actress. She was the lead singer, rhythm guitarist, and keyboardist for the indie rock band Rilo Kiley.
Indie pop is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and subsequently generated a thriving fanzine, label, and club and gig circuit. Compared to its counterpart, indie rock, the genre is more melodic, less abrasive, and relatively angst-free. In later years, the definition of indie pop has bifurcated to also mean bands from unrelated DIY scenes/movements with pop leanings. Subgenres include chamber pop and twee pop.
The Click Five was an American rock band from Boston, Massachusetts. The original members, most of them students at Berklee College of Music, started on January 1, 2004, and played in various local venues. They then quickly got the attention of talent scout Wayne Sharp. The Click Five made their first recording, a two-song demo session, in early 2004 after successful local touring. They released their debut album Greetings from Imrie House in 2005. After vocalist Eric Dill left the group, he was replaced by Kyle Patrick who debuted on their second album Modern Minds and Pastimes in 2007. Their third album, TCV, was released in Asia in 2010 and to the rest of the world in early 2011.
The Kentucky Headhunters are an American country rock and Southern rock band originating in the state of Kentucky. The band's members are Doug Phelps, Greg Martin, and brothers Richard Young and Fred Young. It was founded in 1968 as Itchy Brother, which consisted of the Young brothers and Martin, along with Anthony Kenney on bass guitar and vocals. Itchy Brother performed until 1982, with James Harrison replacing Martin from 1973 to 1976. The Youngs and Martin began performing as The Kentucky Headhunters in 1986, adding brothers Ricky Lee Phelps and Doug Phelps to the membership.
Bunnygrunt are an American indie pop band from St. Louis, Missouri composed of guitarist/vocalist Matt Harnish and drummer Karen Ried.
Tiger Trap was an American twee-pop foursome composed of high school friends Angela Loy and Rose Melberg, with Heather Dunn and Jen Braun. The group recorded for K Records. The name "Tiger Trap" comes from the very first Calvin and Hobbes cartoon, and was used prior to the formation of the band by Rose Melberg for a solo set in 1991 at the first night of the International Pop Underground Convention, Love Rock Revolution Girl Style Now, inspiring the Beat Happening song of the same name. Formed in Sacramento, California in 1992, they managed to garner something of a cult following before disbanding only a year later. Their last concert took place at Bottom of the Hill, San Francisco, in December 1993. Bands they played with include Heavenly, Unwound, Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet, Girl Trouble, Mecca Normal, Beat Happening, and Tsunami.
"Arrow Through Me" is a song by the British–American rock band Wings, released on their 1979 album Back to the Egg.
¡Simpatico! is the second album by Velocity Girl. It was released in June 1994.
Le Jardin de Heavenly is the second album by twee pop band Heavenly. The album was released on Sarah Records in the United Kingdom and K Records in the United States.
Ivan Neville is an American multi-instrumentalist musician, singer, and songwriter. He is the son of Aaron Neville and nephew to the other members of The Neville Brothers.
"Everything Changes" is a song by English boy band Take That. Released as the fifth single from the band's second studio album, Everything Changes (1993), and written by Gary Barlow and producers Michael Ward, Eliot Kennedy and Cary Bayliss, the song features Robbie Williams on lead vocals.
"Hug My Soul" is a song by British band Saint Etienne. It was the third single from their third album, Tiger Bay (1994), and was released in September 1994 by Heavenly Records. It was written by vocalist Sarah Cracknell along with songwriting partners Guy Batson and Johnny Male.
P.U.N.K. Girl, also known as Atta Girl in the UK, is an EP by British twee pop band Heavenly, released by K Records on 11 July 1995. In 2005, Pitchfork Media's Nitsuh Abebe wrote that it was "so bouncy and full of hooks that it can take a while to notice it's kind of a concept record about date rape." This release combines the band's 1993 singles P.U.N.K. Girl and Atta Girl, which were released on Sarah Records.
