Hymns For Strange Children – Rachel Stamp (reviewed by Dave Franklin)

In the mid-nineties, Rachel Stamp came to our aid when we needed it most. With the country in the grip of homespun Britpop and imported grunge something had to be done. And they did. They created a new sound out of heady blends of garage rock, visceral glam, Bowie-esque androgyny and sharp, punchy, pop-aware moves, a balance of poise and punch, sleaze and substance, melody and muscle. They were the perfect antidote to the self-congratulatory stance of Britpop and the wallowing self-pity and anti-fashion of grunge. Not to mention, in the case of the latter, grown men dressing like twelve year olds!

Now, with pop having been boiled down to the lowest common denominator ever and rock music finding it hard to say anything new, the powers that be, well, actually, Easy Action Records, have seen fit to re-release their debut album, presumably as a solution to the fix we find ourselves in, one that now sees talent(?) show kids and gap year troubadours, nostalgic rockers and disco dirge divas rule the roost.

Hymns For Strange Children is as vibrant and exciting as when it first saw the light of day 23 years ago. My Sweet Rose, the song that, for the chart-minded public, at least kicked things off, is as punchy and incendiary as ever. Didn’t I Break My Heart Over You is suitably snarly and seditious, the perfect balance of low-slung, scuzzy guitars and eerie electronica and Pink Skab is as alien and odd as the day I first heard it. And then Carmelita shows they have more than one string to their sonic bow, a deft and delicious slice of Mediterranean-infused acoustica.

Throw in a couple of the tracks as there appeared in their original (pre-remastered) form and a couple of gloriously raucous live cuts, and you have the whole package.

Not only a great album but one that both kicks arse and cuts the mustard. Rachel Stamp has proven to be the band that you call on when times are tough. In my mind I can see this album behind a glass panel inscribed with the words, “In case of musical mediocrity, break glass!”