The Teardrop Explodes - Kilimanjaro
#410
by Paul Zickler
The Teardrop Explodes
Kilimanjaro
Genre: Post-Punk, Neo-Psychedelic
Allen’s Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Paul's Rating: 2.5 Out of 5
Highlights:
Kilimanjaro
Treason
Poppies
My knowledge of The Teardrop Explodes comes exclusively from bringing home their “Wilder” album when I lived in a house with two other guys my sophomore year of college. We all loved music (understatement, we lived for it), and we each brought our own specialities to the table. Jonathan was a pop connoisseur who greatly increased my appreciation for Hall & Oates, REO Speedwagon, and latter day Chicago. Steve owned actual Beatles bootlegs (in 1984!), plus he was an audio engineer who made live recordings of blues and folk artists. My niches included Dylan, grittier classic rock, and new wave. “Wilder” was a bridge too far for all of us. I dug a few songs, but not enough to argue for turntable time, and The Teardrop Explodes soon became a reference point for music outside the household comfort zone.
Later, I would spend evenings at the college listening library, getting exposure to Coltrane, Zappa and various avant garde noises. Within a few years, Julian Cope and company might have fit much more comfortably into my collection, had I held onto the record. No idea where it ended up.
On to Kilimanjaro. The first two songs have those repetitive melodies that become grating and annoying very quickly. “Treason” works much better - there are some nice hooks and variations before the repeating melody takes over for the last 40 seconds. At least there are background vocals to add variation. “Second Hand” has a Billy Idol-ish bass line and swooshing synths. I don’t mind it, and it’s short. “Poppies” runs over 5 minutes, but it moves along decently and doesn’t get annoying. “Went Crazy” overuses fake horn synths while simultaneously trying to sound like The Clash. Nope. “Brave Boys Keep Their Promises” rocks a kind of Cure vibe pretty decently, although I don’t think it’s specifically influenced by The Cure, that’s just what it reminds me of. In the same vein, “Bouncing Babies” reminds me a little of The Smiths, but this album came out before anyone outside of Manchester had ever heard of Morrisey.
Maybe The Teardrop Explodes couldn’t quite nail a sound that appealed to a broader audience, but other, better bands took what they were doing and made it work? I honestly have no idea. These aren’t bad songs, but they aren’t notably good either. Their sound veers close to being interesting at times, but it doesn’t quite get there. When a promising melody occurs, it’s immediately repeated until it loses its promise. Maybe “Wilder” features better songs, or maybe my 1984 instincts weren’t all that bad.
Either way, I’m not going to seek out any Teardrop Explodes vinyl anytime soon.
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