CD: WM11
RELEASED: 2002
LABEL: Words On Music

01. Medication
02. So Long
03. Fuel
04. Coalesced
05. Outside A Heart
06. Shelflife
07. Love You

For a band that's been around for eighteen years, For Against sound remarkably young on their sixth LP, their first in five years. Known for their Joy Division/Factory Records sound in the mid-'80s, the trio evolved over the years, acquiring a more dream-pop jangle. Marked by simple chord-patterns on a lush guitar, angst-driven lyrics, and the transparent pleasure in repeating catchy codas, Coalesced is rife with an adolescent '80s romantic-guitar pop nostalgia. 'Outside A Heart' reminds of The Church circa Starfish, and 'Shelflife' could soundtrack the heartbreak scene in John Hughes movie.With one foot in the British post-punk of Joy Division and the other in the gliding atmospherics of Kitchens of Distinction, For Against are worthy of any and all accolades imagined. Lovers of Echo & the Bunnymen, Joy Division, and The Chameleons will be happy to know that someone is still keeping their tradition alive. Coalesced is a seamless, coherent masterpiece of riveting pop craftsmanship, unspoiled by studio contrivances or artistic pretensions.

Influences / Similar Artists:
Joy Division, The Chameleons, Sad Lovers & Giants, Kitchens Of Distinction