Somewhat of a triumph, especially for a British band of the '90s with no hint of Beatles influence or tortured vocals.
Instead we are treated to a smorgasbord of nifty melodies, some very good lyrics and Sarah Blackwood's lovely vocals.
For the most part, the sound (led by Stephen Hague's glossy production) is layered synths, sometimes Erasuresque (as on "Anywhere"), with programmed beats and, here or there, the odd jangly guitar a la the Sundays ("St.
Swithins Day," written by Billy Bragg).
The singles "Stars" and "Not So Manic Now" are sumptuous, and even when the guitar delves into grungy terrain on the title track, reminiscent of Garlands-period Cocteau Twins, they still pull it off.
Only on "Not Once, Not Ever" and "The Day I See You Again do they come slightly unstuck -- not much to complain about on a debut.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | StarsSteve Hillier | Dubstar | Play | 03:58 | 9 MB | 0 MB |
| 2 | AnywhereSteve Hillier, Chris Wilkie | Dubstar | Play | 03:39 | 8 MB | 0 MB |
| 3 | Just a Girl She SaidSarah Blackwood, Steve Hillier, Chris Wilkie | Dubstar | Play | 04:39 | 10 MB | 0 MB |
| 4 | The Day I See You AgainSteve Hillier | Dubstar | Play | 04:20 | 9 MB | 0 MB |
| 5 | Week in Week OutSarah Blackwood, Steve Hillier, Chris Wilkie | Dubstar | Play | 04:28 | 10 MB | 0 MB |
| 6 | Not So Manic NowMason | Dubstar | Play | 04:29 | 10 MB | 0 MB |
| 7 | PopdorianSteve Hillier | Dubstar | Play | 02:53 | 6 MB | 0 MB |
| 8 | Not Once, Not EverSteve Hillier | Dubstar | Play | 03:50 | 8 MB | 0 MB |
| 9 | St. Swithin's DayBilly Bragg | Dubstar | Play | 04:01 | 9 MB | 0 MB |
| 10 | DisgracefulSteve Hillier | Dubstar | Play | 03:50 | 8 MB | 0 MB |
| 11 | The Elevator Song | Dubstar | Play | 02:54 | 6 MB | 0 MB |
| 43 mins | 98 MB | |||||
| 0 mins | 0 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sarah Blackwood | Composer, Illustrations, Vocals |
| 2 | Billy Bragg | Composer |
| 3 | Steve Clow | Assistant Engineer |
| 4 | Ian Cooper | Mastering |
| 5 | Ewan Davies | Engineer |
| 6 | Spike Drake | Mixing |
| 7 | Dubstar | Primary Artist, Writer |
| 8 | Andy Duncan | Percussion |
| 9 | Stephen Hague | Accordion, Mixing, Producer |
| 10 | Sam Hardaker | Engineer |
| 11 | Steve Hillier | Composer, Programming |
| 12 | John Kirby | Arranger, Keyboards |
| 13 | Mason | Composer |
| 14 | Audrey Riley | Cello |
| 15 | Graeme Robinson | Drums, Engineer, Producer |
| 16 | Phil Spalding | Bass |
| 17 | Bob Steel | Photography |
| 18 | Chris Wilkie | Composer, Guitar |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |