The World That Summer - CD Edition

Death In June (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 16, 2007)
• Original Release Date: July 16, 2007
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Nerus
• ASIN: B000PC1KDY
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #163,859 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #57 in Music > Alternative Rock > Goth & Industrial > Industrial > General

Editorial Reviews

Originally recorded between 1985 and 1986 and previously available only on LP format, another Death In June classic is now re-issued on CD. Highly sought after and available for the first time on CD,with all it's original tracks/mixes and housed in a deluxe digipak with a bonus booklet. Originally released in 1986 and a must for all the Death In June fanatical collectors!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Death In June's best, December 12, 2005

By 

Bill Lee (Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The World That Summer (Audio CD)

From the ashes of the left-wing punk band Crisis came the right-wing Joy Division tribute band Death In June. After working hard to establish an independent sound, Death In June released "The World That Summer." As another reviewer mentioned, this is definitely a transitional album in the sense that it bridges the gap between Death In June's post-punk, electronic genesis and their subsequent neofolk stylings on albums like "But What Ends When The Symbols Shatter?" Like another "transitional" album I love -- Bathory's "Blood Fire Death" -- this represents the band's best and most interesting work to date.

From the opening track, "Blood Of Winter," it's clear this album is something new and different. With its hypnotic percussion, recurring Middle Eastern melodies, and clever interplay between the bass guitar and the trumpet, it gives this unpredictable album an attention-grabbing start. Throwing consistency to the wind, the next track is of a Japanese woman delivering a monologue written by Pearce favorite Mishima Yukio over a synthesized organ piece. Guitar-based songs like "Torture By Roses," "Rule Again," and "Break The Black Ice" do much to presage Death In June's truly dark folk turn represented by the above mentioned "But What Ends..." The best song on this album, however, is the monstrously addictive "Come Before Christ And Murder Love." This is a truly perfect song and, as far as I'm concerned, Death In June's best. The only oddity on this album is the bizarre 16-minute war documentary-derived epic "Death Of A Man" that I still don't entirely understand (or like). However, given the strength of every other song on this album, it's easy to overlook.

In short, although this album represents Death In June's transition from erratic and esoteric post-punk to accessible yet apocalyptic neofolk, the band is hardly suffering from an identity crisis. Instead, this is the meeting place of two fruitful eras of artistic creation and Death In June's finest hour. Along with Current 93's, this is the album that all other neofolk bands try (and usually fail) to recreate. Highly recommended.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars One of DiJ's finest moments, December 1, 2000

By 

Robert P. Beveridge "xterminal" (Lakewood, OH) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The World That Summer (Audio CD)

While earlier work from Death in June had been kind of all over the place stylistically, The World That Summer (1986) really coalesced well, and it was the first true offering of the "Death in June sound" that later became known as "dark folk." The lads slow it down and calm it down here, with much more acoustic material than usual, a stronger sense of traditional melody than on earlier releases, and much more attention to lyriccraft than can be found in Death in June's earlier work. This is a true pop album, and I mean that in the best sense of the word-- it's catchy, almost sweet in places, while still retaining that edge of mournful longing that raises Douglas Pearce's lyrics well above those of the average love ballad.

There's certainly no dearth of hit-potential tracks here. "Come Before Christ and Murder Love" is one of the finest pop songs ever written. "Torture by Roses" could be placed alongside more meditative works by Paul Westerberg or Bob Mould and hold its own easily. And those are just the two that spring to mind immediately; this is an album full of small gems. Absolutely worth your time and money.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars I really am a fan, but..., January 10, 2002

By 

Scott Sweet "Music Freak" (Colorado Springs, CO) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The World That Summer (Audio CD)

Admittedly, I'm biased towards DIJ's latter, "dark folk" sound. "The World That Summer" has some good spots ("Torture By Roses," "Rule Again," "Break The Black Ice"), but there's too much monotonous filler. To their credit, it almost has the strummy, avant-garde appeal of Bauhaus' "The Sky's Gone Out."

This is kind of a transition album, between their early sound (songs like "Fields of Rape") and the acoustic, apocalyptic glory that followed ("Rose Clouds," "Symbols"). The songs are all over the place, from solid 80's dark dance pop ("Come Before Christ And Murder Love") to WHEN-IS-THIS-GONNA-END mood pieces with Japanese monologue and samples (probably from some World War II atrocity; Douglas P. never hid his fixations.) The three "Reprise" tracks at the end are just three earlier songs with the vocals peeled off - an overused 80's tactic to stretch the album.

If you're a hard-core fan, add this album to your collection. I'm just saying that DIJ didn't hit a home run EVERY time. However, try to find a copy of their biography, "Misery and Purity." It's bald-faced idolatry, but it gives you a deeper understanding of the philosophy and fetishism behind Death In June's music.