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Straitjacket FitsAlbums ReviewedMelt (1990)Straitjacket Fits (1998) Life In One Chord(1987)Straitjacket Fits' first EP spawned their most famous song, 'She Speeds', as well as the huge anthemic 'Dialling A Prayer' - the song 'Life In One Chord' didn't appear until Hail. Hail(1988)The group's first album is out of print and hard to find - if anyone can hook me up with a copy I'd be extremely grateful. Contains a cover of Leonard Cohen's 'So Long Marianne', and some editions include songs from Life In One Chord. Melt(1990)Virtually predicting 90s alt rock and predating The Pixies with early songs like 'She Speeds' and 'Dialling A Prayer', Straitjacket Fits switched into a more textural approach for their sophomore effort. Instead of rock thrash, much of Melt is filled with reverb and carefully structured guitars, although this doesn't detract from Shayne Carter's naturally aggressive approach. If anything, these songs can feel a little unfocused, jumping between delicate ambience and full throttle rock with little finesse, but this unsettled feel helps give Melt identity. Of course, this is also symptomatic of the tension between the group's two axes, the pop orientated Andrew Brough and the rawer Shayne Carter, which came to a head when Brough was fired after this album's melodic and radio friendly 'Down In Splendour' became a hit. In reality the uncertain synergy between raw abandon and pop craftsmanship is the group's calling card, and Brough's three songs here are among the highlights - the group would have been more effective with more of Brough's songs featured. That's not to demean a generally excellent collection of songs; along with 'Down In Splendour', where the spiky guitar solo gives more of an edge than perhaps expected, the other highlight is the closing 'Cast Stone', an anthemic closer that ends with a prolonged feedback exploration. Of Brough's songs, if the combination of shoe gazer guitar heroics and emotional rock seems close to what the Smashing Pumpkins would attempt a few years later, then 'Hand On Mine' seems a direct inspiration for 'Disarm' from Siamese Dream, although the Pumpkins add a sense of pompous melodrama that's thankfully absent here. Carter's songs are mostly winners, with 'APS' the closest to guitar experimentation with its shimmering textures, while 'Missing Presumed Drowned' balances textural work with an ominous rush. The overlooked 'Quiet Come' is perhaps the messiest and most ambitious song here, but it's truly memorable with its driving bass line and soothing acoustic guitar, while riff rockers like 'Bad Note For A Heart' and 'Roller Ride' are still present. It's still a little too unfocused and lacking in great songs to justify a five star rating for Melt, but it's a great little record, and along with contemporary work from the Pixies, The Wedding Present, Slint, and My Bloody Valentine, it's proof that rock music was full of life at the turn of the nineties before Nirvana became over-hyped and over-influential on rock music for the next few years. 
Blow(1993)This one's actually easy to find, but based on the songs from the compilation, I'm not that interested - without Brough the band were missing a vital cog and they seem to have wandered into generic grunge territory. Straitjacket Fits(1998)While reviewing Hüsker Dü, I cited Minneapolis and Manchester as the two epicentres of alternative rock during the 1980s. I may have overlooked a third in my own backyard; while it has a comparatively minuscule population base to draw from and is located in the deep south of New Zealand, Dunedin's Flying Nun record label produced a string of acclaimed and influential guitar bands throughout the decade including The Chills, The Clean and The Gordons. Shayne Carter made his first steps in the Dunedin music scene with his band The Doublehappys, but the group fizzled out after losing a key member in a train accident. From the ashes Carter recruited fellow guitarist/vocalist Andrew Brough to form Straitjacket Fits; their 1987 recording debut places them in the second wave of Dunedin bands. While Carter and Brough were both talented musicians in their own right, it was the unlikely synergy between them that made the group special; the nerdy looking Brough (partial to knitted waistcoats and large glasses) played the pop craftsman to Carter's ornery rock star (inspired by Elvis, but more comparable to Alex Chilton or Mick Jagger). This misleadingly titled compilation, the only Straitjackets Fits' release that's readily available on CD, collects material from their 1987-1992 tenure; although the group created some terrific music, they arguably squandered far more potential than they ever utilised. The group emerged fully formed on their debut EP with a charismatic frontman (the part-Maori Carter is still the most likely looking star that New Zealand music has ever produced), an EP title (Life In One Chord) and clever band name that matched their aspirations, wonderful songwriting, and a distinct sound that they never improved upon throughout their career. Brough's lovely 'Sparkle That Shines' owes a tangible debt to The Smiths, but Carter's 'She Speeds' and 'Dialling a Prayer' bring a vicious edge to the classic rock of The Byrds and Big Star, while Brough's chiming guitar and beautiful harmonies are an integral part of the band's sound. Carter was obviously going through a relationship crisis at the time; 'She Speeds' is a cathartic breakup song with erupting harmonies (recently voted New Zealand's ninth best song of all time), while 'Dialling a Prayer' is laden with irony. "I'm your teddy bear/I'm your living doll/I'm your big red flexible rubber ball" declares the a capella verse, while the soaring chorus deflates the hopefulness of "It feels like I'm dialling a prayer" with the empty conclusion that no one's there. The fourth song isn't included on this compilation, but it would have to be particularly shoddy to sabotage Life In One Chord's claim as one of the most perfectly realised debuts of all time. Unfortunately there was only one way for Straitjacket Fits to go after such an auspicious start; if they'd maintained this level of quality, there's no telling where they could have ended up. There are some great songs included from their second album Melt; Brough's 'Down In Splendour' is an elegant love song with a gorgeous verse melody and a stinging guitar solo that gives the song a respectable edge. 'Missing Presumed Drowned' has an ominous ambience, while 'Cast Stone' ends the compilation on an anthemic note before bowing out under a barrage of guitars. The group's third and final album Blow, recorded in L.A. with producer Paul Fox (also responsible for smothering XTC's Oranges and Lemons) after Brough's departure, is more problematic; they successfully create driving rock in 'Burn It Up' and 'Let It Blow', but 'If I Were You' lacks Brough's pop sense and the feline impersonating backing vocals of 'Cat Inna Can' are painful. While their career can be graphed as a long and unsatisfying regression, and they never received public attention despite critical acclaim and a formidable live reputation, Straitjacket Fits' brief and imperfect legacy should have earned them a far more respectable place in rock's annals. Straitjacket Fits is arguably too uneven a compilation to receive such a high grade, but the highs are extremely high and the band deserve more attention; quite simply 'Dialling A Prayer', 'She Speeds' and 'Down In Splendour' are three of the best songs of their era, and it's inexplicable how they got lost. Brough, who only ever contributed a handful of songs to the group, enjoyed some pop success in the mid-1990s with Bike, while Carter resurfaced in 2001 as the laid-back Dimmer with the critically acclaimed I Believe You Are A Star.
 DimmerI have the first album from Carter's new band - coming soon! |
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Written 2001-2007, Graham Fyfe
