Died Pretty: Part III

Died Pretty “Whitlam Square” (mp3)

Died Pretty “True Fools Fall” (mp3)

After the release of the "Everybody Moves" single, Died Pretty spent the middle part of 1989 touring Europe and the U.S. before setting up shop in southern California to lay down some new recordings for what was to be the band’s third full-length album.

Released in March of 1990, it was apparent from the get-go that the group’s overall sound on Every Brilliant Eye was to be more polished and cleaner, no doubt due to the production of Jeff Eyrich who had previously worked with both the Plimsouls and the Gun Club. Not only do the guitars tend to “ring” a little bit more, but the band also let both strings and keys play a more prominent role in the songs which in turn gave everything a more “crisp” sound.

On a personal note: I think it’s that “crisp” sound mentioned above that tends to make me sway back and forth in regards to my overall feelings for Every Brilliant Eye and some of the production choices. While all of the songs are both very strong and well written, there is a certain dirtiness or edge that seem to be missing from their sound that gave the first two records the life that they had. Illustrating this point are the two tracks presented above, both great songs in their own right that come off as just a bit safe sounding.

Every Brilliant Eye is still a favorite record and I think it needs to be kept in mind that any aimed disparagements over it would no doubt be a compliment for most bands. However, for a group such as Died Pretty who set the bar pretty high with their first two albums, criticisms are bound to eventually occur. More to follow.