Unseen Ripples from a Pebble

Unknown Contributor Role: Justin Ryan.
After gaining a following from their night-time radio hit Cut the Cake EP and an appearance on the influential NME C86 cassette, the Wolfhounds found themselves at the heart of mid-'80s indie pop. Their first album mixed the pop tunes of the Smiths and the Velvet Underground with the off-center style of the Fall. Still, Unseen Ripples from a Pebble was not well-received by the music press -- more than one review quoted the line from the opening song "Me" ("You can't flap your arms no matter how hard you try"). Fans of the indie world thought differently, however, and made "Cruelty" and "Anti-Midas Touch" indie club favorites. Both Dave Callahan's vocals and Andy Golding's guitars brought to mind contemporaries the Wedding Present but with an almost jazzy outlook. All in all, Unseen Ripples from a Pebble was a great indie pop album -- not ground-breaking, nor a leap forward in musical invention -- just great fun. ~ Christian Smillie