Everything But the Girl - Love Not Money
#132
April 19 1985
Everything But the Girl
Love Not Money
Genre: Jangle Pop
3.25 out of 5
Much more lush and paisley than their previous coffee shop offering.
I know this is lazy reviewing but it’s rare that I agree with Pitchfork:
“The world EBTG created on Eden was so pleasant, even at its glummest, that you wanted to linger there a while. 1985's Love NotMoney, however, was a near-total reinvention and a complete stylistic mish-mash. One on hand, guitars came coated with about nine pounds of agreeably dated glitz, like the gaudily anthemic college rock being peddled by bands like the Icicle Works. On the other hand, it's the most soporific and studiously "serious" album EBTG ever made, and parts of it are a real drag. The murky, cavernous stuff assumes that droning on depressively is the best way to handle weighty topics, and some of the new touches, like the Celtic kitsch of "Sean", with ultra-kitschy tin flute, are so ham-fisted you'll cringe.”
This is exactly what i felt. Albeit with a bit more affection than Jess Harvell.
It IS self-important. I don’t mind that. But it almost crumbles from the weight of that self importance.
It’s hard to find fault with this record. It’s not “bad”. It’s a little alienating but it’s also sort of gorgeous.
It’s also 40+ minutes of so much sameness that it’s hard to advocate for, since it feels twice as long.
https://open.spotify.com/album/6RJMpsbRiNg5pm5w9x78x3?si=25RpH_8FTWGidDF60h6b2g
