Cannanes - 'Stumpvision' (Ajax)

A few years ago I made the plunge for one of those "audiophile" turntables (though I assure you, mine is very much entry-level) -- but the kind where you have to lift the platter and move the belt to change the speed. Because putting technology to do this any more easily (like, a switch) would compromise the sound. I may seem sarcastic here, but I actually agree with that. It's just annoying in the case of 7"s like this, which are labeled as being 45 rpms, causing me to go through the hassle of changing speeds -- only to find that it's been mislabeled, and then I have to switch it back. Grrrr. Anyway, this Cannanes single has a pretty weird sound, a bit hollow and empty. Frances Gibson's singing is really distant in the mix - not like she's faraway, but just unconfident. 'Passionfruit' is a rainy day in tweedom but her voice gives it the proper lift. The acoustic strum rings triumphantly throughout this record; on 'Another Fight' (which is a pretty bleak song), the band turns and stops on a dime, using the space between to create a haunting vibe. 'Singing to Satellites' on side 2 is similarly dark, with male vocals this time, and some layered, amped-up echo/chorus guitars. S' O'Neil is credited with playing 'a hundred guitars' but Branca this is not; still it's a pretty big sound for a band that's always struck me as being about small things. The drummer shuffles things along and things are over before you know it. Ajax Records is one of those labels that seemed important to me at some point, but it feels already like a million years ago since they were making any splash. This is 1992, after all.