THE STITCHES
Twelve Imaginary Inches (TKO)
Reviewed by Alan Wright

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This is the first Stitches album since their 1996 debut, a live picture disc LP not withstanding. They've released a handful of singles over the years, and those of us that loved that first LP waited. And waited. Then we waited some more. Years went by, and still no second album. So, it took them 6 years to come up with a second album, but it's certainly worth the wait. Some of the singles cuts are here: "Automatic," "Cars Of Today" and "Electroshock Carol" for instance. With the exception of the latter, it was all recorded at Earl Mankey's Studio, and Mankey seems to be able to get the best out of bands he records. With the Stitches there's a little more depth to the sound, some keyboards added here and there, and a "full" sound overall. The whole CD, which clocks in at around half an hour, rocks from start to finish. Interestingly, the band forgoes putting the actual names of songs anywhere in the package, except the CD itself. Instead, there are lyrics and pictographs, which serve to illustrate the song's title. Check it out; you'll see what I mean.

[Pick this up at www.tkorecords.com.]

© 2003 - Alan Wright