Name: Expensive Sound
Brand: Empire

Tax rate EU

Default:19

Supplier EU

375 Media

Total Cap

Format detail

Colour details

Discogs ID

Limited edition

Colour

Format Music EU

Extended format

Extended format: No

Rough Trade Exclusive

Rough Trade Exclusive: No

Signed copies

Signed copies: No

Download code

Download code: No

Bonus disc

Bonus disc: No

Release date

2022-09-02

Format multiplier

Catalogue number

154118

UPC / Barcode

8435008843113

Artist

Empire

Label EU

Munster

Genre EU

Punk / Hardcore

Munster Records is a Spanish label founded by CEO [a1905630] and [a1187670]. The label originated in 1983 as a fanzine called "[l103736]", which later evolved into the renowned Munster Records. As a division of Distrolux SL, Munster Records is closely affiliated with sister label Vampi Soul. With their expertise in compilation and production, they have consistently delivered exceptional music to their audience.

Based in Santurtzi - Santurce (Bizcaia - Vizcaya), [a1728375] manages Munsterama distribution under Weirdo Musika, S.L. company. While operating independently from Munster Records, this separate entity plays an integral role in the success of the label.

If you are looking for high-quality music that spans various genres and eras, look no further than Munster Records. Their dedication to discovering unique talent and delivering exceptional releases has made them a trusted name among music enthusiasts worldwide.

Newest Listed Items

Empire was an offshoot of punk legends Generation X, very influential for the '80s Washington D.C. hardcore and UK neo-psychedelic scenes, acting somehow as the missing link between new wave and grunge. Expensive Sound was originally released in 1981. While Expensive Sound may be better known for the bands it inspired - the neo-psychedia of The Stone Roses and the athletic fretwork of Fugazi - they deserve appreciation on its own merits: one of the finest guitar pop records of the era.Originally released in 1981, the same year Gary Numan and Soft Cell were raking in big bucks with their noir-flecked brand of retrofuturism, Expensive Sound was out-of-step with the climate of commercial music. Their music was raw, bare, warm - distinct from the glacial, antiseptic pop that would dominate the decade. The album was neither totally forward-looking nor nostalgia embracing. Instead, Expensive Sound does what great albums tend to: preserves a specific moment in time. There's an arid, unvarnished quality to the recordings - typified by frontman Derwood Andrews's voice and words. He sang with uncommon fragility and in a soft, almost diffident voice. There's little reverb, almost no double tracking, and absolutely no attempt to Americanize his delivery. The subject matter is rendered in a similar, disarmingly plain way. Boredom, depression, unrequited love, and existential dread are treated in equal parts -sans one song about playing the electric guitar (the aptly titled 'Electric Guitar'). While Derwood's lyrics exhibit some of the doom-and-gloom sentiment of post-punk progenitors Joy Division, they are almost Holden Caulfield-esque in their simplicity. Empire's response to adversity is delivered with a shrug and a sigh. If Andrew's bashful vocals are part of the charm, his expressive guitar playing is the main attraction of "Expensive Sound". As the sole guitarist on the record, he demonstrates a versatility unusual for the band's punk roots - deftly maneuvering between chunky, minimalist riffing (like on 'Hot Seat'), vast swathes of dark noise ('Empire'), and lacerating, tightly coiled leads ('Safety'). While Expensive Sound may be better known for the bands it inspired - the neo-psychedelia of The Stone Roses and the athletic fretwork of Fugazi - they deserve appreciation on its own merits: one of the finest guitar pop records of the era.

Expensive Sound

Music EU