{"product_id":"expensive-sound","title":"Expensive Sound","description":"\u003cp\u003eEmpire was an offshoot of punk legends Generation X, very influential for the '80s Washington D.C. hardcore and UK neo-psychedelic scenes, acting somehow as the missing link between new wave and grunge. \u003ci\u003eExpensive Sound\u003c\/i\u003e was originally released in 1981. While \u003ci\u003eExpensive Sound \u003c\/i\u003emay be better known for the bands it inspired - the neo-psychedia of The Stone Roses and the athletic fretwork of Fugazi - they deserve appreciation on its own merits: one of the finest guitar pop records of the era.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOriginally released in 1981, the same year Gary Numan and Soft Cell were raking in big bucks with their noir-flecked brand of retrofuturism, \u003ci\u003eExpensive Sound\u003c\/i\u003e was out-of-step with the climate of commercial music. Their music was raw, bare, warm - distinct from the glacial, antiseptic pop that would dominate the decade. The album was neither totally forward-looking nor nostalgia embracing. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eInstead, \u003ci\u003eExpensive Sound\u003c\/i\u003e does what great albums tend to: preserves a specific moment in time. There's an arid, unvarnished quality to the recordings - typified by frontman Derwood Andrews's voice and words. He sang with uncommon fragility and in a soft, almost diffident voice. There's little reverb, almost no double tracking, and absolutely no attempt to Americanize his delivery. The subject matter is rendered in a similar, disarmingly plain way. Boredom, depression, unrequited love, and existential dread are treated in equal parts -sans one song about playing the electric guitar (the aptly titled 'Electric Guitar'). While Derwood's lyrics exhibit some of the doom-and-gloom sentiment of post-punk progenitors Joy Division, they are almost Holden Caulfield-esque in their simplicity. Empire's response to adversity is delivered with a shrug and a sigh. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIf Andrew's bashful vocals are part of the charm, his expressive guitar playing is the main attraction of \"Expensive Sound\". As the sole guitarist on the record, he demonstrates a versatility unusual for the band's punk roots - deftly maneuvering between chunky, minimalist riffing (like on 'Hot Seat'), vast swathes of dark noise ('Empire'), and lacerating, tightly coiled leads ('Safety'). While\u003ci\u003e Expensive Sound\u003c\/i\u003e may be better known for the bands it inspired - the neo-psychedelia of The Stone Roses and the athletic fretwork of Fugazi - they deserve appreciation on its own merits: one of the finest guitar pop records of the era.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Munster","offers":[{"title":"Black | LP","offer_id":50402232205643,"sku":"1154894","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"Red LP","offer_id":50402232336715,"sku":"2026866","price":9.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/8b370780-cf92-44f2-ae1b-8596b3b2ef49_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1726536355","url":"https:\/\/shop.roughtrade.com\/products\/expensive-sound","provider":"Rough Trade","version":"1.0","type":"link"}