The Sound - From The Lions Mouth review (NME)
date: Jul 27, 2011
Jonathan Garrett takes the helm for the latest in our Unspun Heroes series, taking a look at The Sound's underrated 1981 album 'From The Lions Mouth'
Some burn out. Others fade away. Then there are those, like The Sound, who never get the chance to do either. Fronted by the mercurial Adrian Borland, the south London post-punk outfit eluded the attention of almost everyone in their day while peers like Joy Division and Echo & the Bunnymen (with whom they shared a label - Korova) were elevated to the status of gods among men. Yet the band still somehow managed, against all cruel indifference, to soldier on for nearly a decade and release five studio albums, none stronger than the one that turns 30 this year, 'From The Lions Mouth'.
Despite its age, The Sounds sophomore record still stands as a ferocious, vital document. Coming off the broad political sloganeering of their 1980 debut 'Jeopardy', '...Lions Mouth''s probing introspection can be a jarring, discomfiting listen at first. The lyrics, cut from the same cloth as Joy Divisions 'Closer' or the Manic Street Preachers 'The Holy Bible', are both unsparing and unrelentingly bleak, in case song titles like Skeletons and New Dark Age didnt provide the tipoff. But unlike many of his peers and as Andy Gill astutely pointed out in the original '81 NME review, Borland was careful to avoid pessimistic wallowing. Indeed, the triumphant urgency of tracks like 'Sense of Purpose' [below] and 'Contact the Fact' belie their lyrical despondence, with Borlands searing fretwork and Max Mayers sharp synth lines acting as shots of adrenaline throughout.
And its this tensionbetween Borlands dark worldview and his undeniable gift for melodythat makes ' Lions Mouth' such a compelling, wrenching listen: The Sound walk the tightrope for over 40 minutes without managing to fall to either side. Of course, knowing what came after, its hard to resist the urge to read into Borlands lyrics. Borland would suffer a well-documented, prolonged bout with mental illness, ending when he threw himself in front of a train in 1999. Drummer Michael Dudley claims that the signs werent apparent and the band didnt become worried until around about '85 or '86, but lines like You can take what you want from me / Because I know you hate it when Im crazy ('Contact the Fact') and When you reach the end of your tether / its because it wasnt strong enough ('Winning') leave little doubt that Borland was already wrestling demons of some description during the album's writing sessions.
Some will certainly be drawn to the album in the hopes for some window into Borlands troubled mental state, but 'From The Lions Mouth' isnt designed to reward morbid curiosity. Whats so striking in listening all these years later - even during the records darkest moments - is how alive it sounds. Borland may be long gone, but 'From The Lions Mouth' is nothing short of bracingly immediate.
Sadly, The Sound and their finest release have remained largely undiscovered, relegated to a mere historical footnote. While the bands entire Korova catalogue was issued for the first time on CD in 2002 by Renascent, the albums are no longer available for direct purchase. iTunes does not carry the digital downloads, and the vinyl records appear on eBay sporadically at best. On its 30th anniversary, 'From The Lions Mouth' - and indeed The Sound - deserves a better fate.
by Jonathan Garrett
Unspun Heroes is a blog series on NME.COM.
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Some burn out. Others fade away. Then there are those, like The Sound, who never get the chance to do either. Fronted by the mercurial Adrian Borland, the south London post-punk outfit eluded the attention of almost everyone in their day while peers like Joy Division and Echo & the Bunnymen (with whom they shared a label - Korova) were elevated to the status of gods among men. Yet the band still somehow managed, against all cruel indifference, to soldier on for nearly a decade and release five studio albums, none stronger than the one that turns 30 this year, 'From The Lions Mouth'.
Despite its age, The Sounds sophomore record still stands as a ferocious, vital document. Coming off the broad political sloganeering of their 1980 debut 'Jeopardy', '...Lions Mouth''s probing introspection can be a jarring, discomfiting listen at first. The lyrics, cut from the same cloth as Joy Divisions 'Closer' or the Manic Street Preachers 'The Holy Bible', are both unsparing and unrelentingly bleak, in case song titles like Skeletons and New Dark Age didnt provide the tipoff. But unlike many of his peers and as Andy Gill astutely pointed out in the original '81 NME review, Borland was careful to avoid pessimistic wallowing. Indeed, the triumphant urgency of tracks like 'Sense of Purpose' [below] and 'Contact the Fact' belie their lyrical despondence, with Borlands searing fretwork and Max Mayers sharp synth lines acting as shots of adrenaline throughout.
And its this tensionbetween Borlands dark worldview and his undeniable gift for melodythat makes ' Lions Mouth' such a compelling, wrenching listen: The Sound walk the tightrope for over 40 minutes without managing to fall to either side. Of course, knowing what came after, its hard to resist the urge to read into Borlands lyrics. Borland would suffer a well-documented, prolonged bout with mental illness, ending when he threw himself in front of a train in 1999. Drummer Michael Dudley claims that the signs werent apparent and the band didnt become worried until around about '85 or '86, but lines like You can take what you want from me / Because I know you hate it when Im crazy ('Contact the Fact') and When you reach the end of your tether / its because it wasnt strong enough ('Winning') leave little doubt that Borland was already wrestling demons of some description during the album's writing sessions.
Some will certainly be drawn to the album in the hopes for some window into Borlands troubled mental state, but 'From The Lions Mouth' isnt designed to reward morbid curiosity. Whats so striking in listening all these years later - even during the records darkest moments - is how alive it sounds. Borland may be long gone, but 'From The Lions Mouth' is nothing short of bracingly immediate.
Sadly, The Sound and their finest release have remained largely undiscovered, relegated to a mere historical footnote. While the bands entire Korova catalogue was issued for the first time on CD in 2002 by Renascent, the albums are no longer available for direct purchase. iTunes does not carry the digital downloads, and the vinyl records appear on eBay sporadically at best. On its 30th anniversary, 'From The Lions Mouth' - and indeed The Sound - deserves a better fate.
by Jonathan Garrett
Unspun Heroes is a blog series on NME.COM.
Today I saw the documentary 'Walking in te opposite direction', at Idfa Amsterdam, about the life of Adrian Borland. I am touched by the moving life of Adrian and his disastrous disorder. The Sound was very important for me during my student time, and also nowadays. His beautiful voice, hopeful and 'doorleefde' lyrics means a lot to me (especially during sad episodes). I feel much respect for Adrians father Bob, who was very helpful in his life. And, finally, 'hulde' for the builder of this website and the makers of the film!! You showed me that silence Can speak louder than words.