Customer Reviews

Hold on It Hurts

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Forget "Brimful of Asha", this band's noble yet watered-down attempt at a crossover hit song... "Hold on it Hurts" is their finest moment.

As has been mentioned before, the influences are there - Velvet Underground, Pavement, 60s garage, and traditional Indian music. What you might not hear - unless you're familiar with the band's history - is the influence of the scene that they grew out of. As documented in the underground - and criminally unknown - video fanzine "Getting Close to Nothing", Cornershop were part of a somewhat politicized, new scene of socially aware London indie rockers, where issues of race, gender and sexuality were focal points and even central themes for many bands of the time (Huggy Bear, Voodoo Queens, Sister George, etc.). It's notable that - in their call-to-arms anthem "England's Dreaming" - they not only urged a protest against racist attacks, but also against sexism and homophobia as well. That song mixed Morrissey's lyrics with Public Enemy, as both a way to critique Moz's recent flirtation with fascist imagery ("National Front Disco") and as a statement of cross-cultural protest... by namechecking icons of both black and white music, they subverted the usually polarized and simplistic ideas of race and made a name for Asians - especially South Asians - in the rock scene.

All that aside, this is a really fantastic, interesting, provocative and heartfelt album, succeeding as only the best music does... by allowing you to transcend your normal existence on this planet and to imagine a greater one.

Raw, angular, and with a surprisingly aggressive edge to it, "Jason Donovan/Tessa Sanderson", the opening track from Cornershop's debut, looks backward at post-punk with an assaultive guitar attack, something that those who dialed up this band after a glowing testimonial by NPR given when "Handcream For A Generation" dropped in 2002 might experience as something of a shock, given the neo-retro disco-rock treatment and arrangement of "Handcream's" tracks. "Born Disco, Died Heavy Metal", the sixth cut from "Hold On, It Hurts" comes closest to approaching "Handcream's " vibe, with the guitars locked into a punctuated rhythm not unlike the BTO influenced "Lessons Learned From Rocky One to Rocky Three"-though with a much grittier production style.

NPR focused part of their segment on "Spectral Mornings", the fourteen-minute epic which served not only as the cornerstone of "Handcream", but also the only track where ethnic instrumentation (sitar and tabla) and Tjinder Singh's vocals in his native dialect (Punjabi) merge together. Again, anyone starting with "Handcream" as an entry point for Cornershop would be surprised at the frequency in which both native instrumentation and dialect are integrated throughout the progression of their first release. "Counteraction" is the only track whose lyrics are sung entirely in Punjabi and structured primarily around ethnic instruments, but the vast majority of the cuts incorporate this as a cold opening refrain, fade-out, or transitional point, such as "Kalluri's Radio", the otherwise straightforward "Changes", the heavily-amplified, guitar driven "Inside Rani" (which uses a field recording of a black faith healer to segue into and out of shifts in dialect), the propulsive "You Always Said My Language Would Get Me Into Trouble", and the psychedelically-tinged `Trip Easy", a bonus track on this CD.

"Lock, Stock, and Double Barrel", an EP appended onto this particular copy in America contains the track which serves as the capstone for one of Singh's strengths as a lyricist: the ability to craft insightful social commentary, "England's Dreaming". Recorded only a few years after Morrissey had released the sympathetic but dismissive broadside to immigrants from Great Britain's Jewel in the Crown (India), "Bengali in Platforms" and shortly after he had recorded "The National Front Disco" , Singh serves Morrissey and others contributing to anti-immigrant hysteria, even twisting a lyrical snippet from "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now" to illustrate his contempt for that treatment. Singh mines the same vein in "You Always Said My Language would Get Me Into Trouble" and "Where d"U Get Your Information".

I can remember when this CD was released 16 years ago. I recently had to replace it due to extreme wear. It's easily my favorite Cornershop release, for the freely blended aggressive post-punk sound with traditional Indian instrumentation laced with native vocalization. They would never record anything as vital sounding, as alive to the moment, as this again (though Singh still occasionally sings in his own tongue, as evidenced by the magnificent "Juliander Shere", among a few others); their continual progression toward a funkier, disco-rock sound has gained some critical praise and a much larger volume of units shifted. This is a great recording. Get it if you can, while you can.

Fun, fast, loud, creative, and punky, Cornershop tosses tape loops and traditional Indian-subcontinent instruments on top of the formula guitar/bass/drums but doesn't stray far enough to become unrecognizable. Straightforward lyrics about living between cultures rise above the mix and maintain a sense of humor even at their angriest.

This album is nicely different from other, later, Cornershop albums; it has a great independant alternative sound. My tolerance for boring Creed ripoff bands is at an all-time low, and Cornershop is a very refreshing change.

For anyone who has heard Cornershop's last two albums "Woman's Gotta Have It" and "When I Was Born For The 7th Time", hearing their first album may be something of a disappointment. The band had yet to add the pop and dub influences that pervade much of the last two records and some of the songs are downright unlistenable. Although the East Indian influence is detectable, Cornershop was, by and large, a rough, lo-fi indie band at the time. The first album may be difficult for anyone but the hardcore Cornershop fan to like.

Hold On It Hurts is the most recent Cornershop cd I purchased, preceded by Woman's Gotta Have It and When I Was Born for the 7th Time. Every Cornershop cd has its own appeal and flavor instead of following the exact same formula every time. While the indie rock and indian flavor pervade this album as much as the others, Hold On It Hurts displays the punk side of Cornershop, especially the song "England's Dreaming" from the Lock, Stock & Double Barrel segment (an obvious reference to the Sex Pistols lyrics). This puts it above 7th Time in my opinion, and I like this one about as much as I like Woman's Gotta Have It. You'll like this album, especially if 7th Time was too poppy for your tastes. Standout Tracks: Jason Donovan/Tessa Sanderson Change Born Disco; Died Heavy Metal Where D'u Get your Information You Always Said My Language Would Get Me Into Trouble England's Dreaming*** Breaking Every Rule Language English

When Cornershop writes a song with lyrics it is awesome. Everyone here is special. The only dud is the spoken word piece. Is a band just lazy when they make an instrumental or spoken word song? They are always useless to listen to, ALWAYS. I hate them. This album really shows how exciting Cornershops music can be. Please make an effort to finish your songwriting. When you complete songs they rule. This is a work of genius.