Releasing three albums and a slew of singles, Heavenly of the UK endures as a standout band from the 1990s indie boom, landing in the sweet spot where indie pop a la Sarah Records tangos with the then budding Riot Grrl experience. LP number three The Decline and Fall of Heavenly captures them at times melodically refined, at other moments raw and rocking. Adding the “P.U.N.K. Girl” and “Atta Girl” singles, the album gets reissued February 2 on vinyl through Skep Wax Records. There is also a Bandcamp exclusive “P.U.N.K. Girl” T-shirt bundle with a CD single, postcards, and a badge available the same day.
Before there was Heavenly, there was Talulah Gosh. This was back in the ‘80s amidst the burgeoning waves of indie pop. The short of it is when Talulah Gosh ceased, Heavenly commenced not long after, with the lineup of guitarist-vocalist Amelia Fletcher, her drummer brother Mathew Fletcher, guitarist Peter Momtchiloff, and bassist Rob Pursey (returning from the original lineup of Talulah Gosh). For second album Le Jardin de Heavenly Cathy Rogers joined, contributing keyboards and vocals to productive effect.
Heavenly’s label on their home turf was indeed Sarah Records, and in the USA they were part of the abundant K Records roster. Given their blend of influences, they couldn’t’ve found a more fitting label home. Decline and Fall opens with “Me and My Madness,” a dose of crisp indie pop sweetness with a few strategically placed punkish bursts and sustained roars dropped in.
“Modestic” is a bouncy pop mover with keyboards aping a horns section and sweeping harmonic vocals. Especially cool is the instrumental break where the keys take on a ’60s Farfisa-ish flavor that underscores the deepest roots strengthening so much of Heavenly’s material. And then “Skipjack” brings in mallet vibes, cowbell, and tambourine to a riffy number where those harmonies really soar and the guitars get a little raucous at the end.
Heavenly were (and I guess still are) sometimes tagged as twee, which shouldn’t necessarily be taken as an insult. But by Decline and Fall, the descriptor doesn’t really apply; it’s just that for the robust guitar-pop of “Itchy Chin” for one example, Fletcher and Rogers elect to let the rich prettiness of their voices flourish rather than opt for punkish snarling, sneering, shouting, or growling. Heavenly can get plenty punk, as this record’s bonus singles make clear, but they do it on their terms, which is the only way to do it right.
“Sacramento” is a bit of a surfy digression that conjures images of Heavenly lounging around Calvin Johnson’s manor in Oympia spinning sides by Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet. Is there a swirling ’60s-ish organ? Natch! From there, “Three Star Compartment” initially connects as stripped back, mainly because the guitars are turned way up, but as the track progresses its layers shine brightly.
The title of “Sperm Meets Egg, So What?” reinforces that Heavenly had been bitten by the Riot Grrl bug, (a circumstance detailed in the PR and liners for this reissue) and it’s an appropriately punked up affair, but with no reduction in those harmonies. It’s a solid lead-in to “She and Me,” a terrific melancholia tinged achy lovelorn number that served as the original LP’s closer.
The Riot Grrl infectiousness is even more apparent in Decline and Fall’s first bonus single “P.U.N.K. Girl,” for reasons that should be obvious, but even more so in its flip side, the date rape-themed “Hearts and Crosses,” as sweet a number as any in Heavenly’s catalog, that is, until they deliver the subject matter sneak attack gut punch.
The speedy “Atta Girl’ picks up the punkish ball and runs with it, but the real gem from the second bonus single is “Dig Your Own Grave,” which comes off like a guitar strum and harmony folk-pop cousin to early Heavenly single “Escort Crash on Marston St.” Then, the a cappella “So?” radiates a bit of a Stephin Merritt vibe as it closes this edition of The Decline and Fall of Heavenly, these extra selections providing a welcome boost as the quality of an already strong record holds steady.
GRADED ON A CURVE:
A-
