Curve - Doppelgänger

There was something about Curve that made NME journalists in 1991-92 turn into dribbling fanboys. Well, that would have been their one idea, which they had earlier shown off with two fine EPs, but which they repeat here for the length of an album. It was a brilliant idea though, and turned out to be a recipe for coolness. Partially it was Dean Garcia's heavily effected layers of pumping guitars over a shuffling danced-up beat. But the main cause of the (mostly male) critics' drool was probably Toni Halliday's highly-charged, breathy vocals which topped off a distinctly sexy mix of sound. Admittedly there's not much to choose between most of the tracks here, but songs that set the standard include "Fait Accompli" and "Already Yours". One track where they turn off the dance beat is the gothic shoe-gazer "Sandpit". Although Curve's success didn't last long, their mantle would be carried on into the late 90s by Garbage.

August 3, 2004

8 out of 10

see also...

• All About Eve - Ultraviolet

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