CD: GEN 0242
RELEASE DATE: 1999
LABEL: Generic

01. 2 Minutes 45
02. Not Listening
03. Last Orders
04. I'm Sick
05. I'll Lie To You
06. Private God
07. Impossible
08. Sell My Guitar
09. Goodbye Joe

Debut album from Pete Fijalkowski's new project POLAK, once frontman of indie also-rans Adorable. Almost a decade ago now Adorable, along with a nascent Radiohead, Suede and Verve, seemed on the brink of great things, but found themselves cast aside. If Adorable resembled a brooding Echo & The Bunnymen, then Polak sound like the band on their knees. This is an album-length compilation of three increasingly successful independently-released singles. By the sound of things, Polak aren't taking anything for granted now. This is a band that make indie epics with big singing, determinedly grim guitars and poetically tragic lyrics. Their songs are all cheerfully doomed and damaged and Pete Polak (the singer) perks up noticeably when roaring and thrashing his way through a climactic chorus. And it's more fun than it might sound to stand back and listen. Having pushed their sound and songs though a every indie dive in England over the last year or so, now no note, no tremor, no vocal inflection or affectation is wasted. Not that these are particularly spare songs of course, Polak still like to indulge their whims and woes. But who can blame them when it sounds this good?