Customer Reviews

Tourniquets of Loves Desire

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

 

 

I wish you could give 2-1/2 stars...

Like most 90s goth rock bands, Children on Stun take their primary inspiration from the post-punk Leeds sound of the early 90s.

But while most bands are content to endlessly rehash the Sisters of Mercy sound, Children on Stun obviously listened to the rest of the Sisters' contemporaries like March Violets (they're named after a Violets song, after all), Red Lorry Yellow Lorry, the Three Johns, etc.

Children on Stun's deeper influences are apparent in their sound--more aggressive, more varied, and overall more interesting than many of their contemporaries.

And that's more true on this album than on their later release, which is made up of mediocre remixes from Tourniquets and a few new tracks. Tourniquets hangs together musically as a solid album--although its consistency can get tedious quickly.

Unfortunately, while their music is a cut above many similar bands, their lyrics are mostly pseudo-poetic, death-obsessed romanticist ramblings, no different from or better than any other mid-90s goth band.

Children on Stun were one of the better of Cleopatra's mid-90s gothrock stable; if you've run out of 80s originals and are looking for more, you could do a lot worse than Tourniquets of Love's Desire.

Children on Stun had a impressive, cross-genre sound that borrows from others, sure, but does it very well without falling into genre-pitfalls.

They're often considered 'goth', whatever that means these days, but it's not so clear. There is some darkness here, but what stands out on this disc is the incredible energy of the group and the vocals. Sometimes they actually sound like a more gothic U2, with the frenetic energy and urgency of early U2, and even the vocals are not far off. Children on Stun feature a drum machine, like many a genre staple, but it captures that quickness of an early U2, moving nearly every song along nicely, and you can even dance to it.

The more sober numbers are not gloomy, or depressing, or whatever people expect from the 'gothic' label. There's a slight menacing feel. The production is good, the sound is rather timeless--good guitar work, good use of synths, and the drum machine doesn't let up. Think of a more synth-heavy, faster post punk, without so much gloom. Again, it proves the difficulty of trying to ghettoize bands in order to sell them better.

Everyone keeps saying how Children on Stun "borrowed so much from XXXX and isn't original".. Lets be honest, every band has influences and it usually shows, what matters is if the result of it is good. And in this case, it is.

"Tourniquets" in my opinion is a timeless release. If you listen to it you can just feel the energy and lyrical quality of the songs. It takes you back to a time when goth music was both thriving (if you would really say such things) and more pure. Nowadays all the alleged "goth music" released seems to be miss-matched pop s*** featuring a guy with a deep voice spewing utter crap into your ears *but you can dance to it!! =\ *. Anyone unfamiliar with Children on Stun, or especially into "new" goth music, apart from the obvious bands - check out this CD.

...it will likely do you good! =^.^=

I saw Children On Stun many times live during 1990-1996, and followed them all over the UK at one time when I was a true goth! Happy to say this CD release is still one of my absolute favourites. OK, so the band's sound and influences may not be original, but they take it a bit further, adding a vigorous vocal style by singer Neil Ash(he never sings a bum note) and a powerful, racing rhythm and charging drumbeats(never before has a Casio drumbox sounded so brilliant - I should know, I knew the band as friends and acquaintances!) with effects-laden guitar work. The result is a CD that no goth, young or old, should be without. Some of the best songs include the ctachy CATS OR DEVIL'S EYES, the popular UK indie release HOLLOW with its almost punky beat reminding me of early RED LORRY YELLOW LORRY, LEVELLED OUT, BY THE WAYSIDE and SIDELINED, a song popular at a Birmingham goth night I still visit with my wife sometimes! All in all, a stunning debut LP release that still shines above all the monkey muck that people call 'music' today.

The catalog of Cleopatra records in the 90's served up pureed, spoon fed, goth-lite albums for the mush brained masses. Now they focus their energy on spinning off one after another horrendous cover album of popular bands performed by mediocre goth/industrial acts that owe their existence to such nonsense. Children on Stun was one of the few bands on this label that escaped untainted. No, they were not a groundbreaking band in the least bit. Their sound is very reminiscent of The March Violets, Sisters of Mercy and The Mission. What they had that so many of their 90's contemporaries and labelmates strived for but so utterly lacked was a profound energy and passion behind their impressive songwriting skills. Children on Stun were not copycats, they took the sound they loved and injected it with their own intensity and fervent conviction. I never checked out their follow up remix album "Celibacy and Annadin", not worth it from what I heard and that they broke up shortly afterward made that seem even more plausible. This is the most accessible goth album since "Natural History" or "First and Last and Always" and is a great introduction to goth rock for the beginner or a pleasantly sleek 90's version of what was before for the goth purist.

CHILDREN ON STUN (& Tourniquets...) are like a Party or PERFECT DATE you wish would never end!

While you are there, listening-
It's Heaven!

(Of course it's a Dark Wave, Goth HEAVEN yet Heaven never-the-less!)

Artist Europa Pirate
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