The following is a true story. Recently, I was playing The Raincoats at work and a man walked up to the counter and asked me what horrible music was playing. I stared at him in disbelief, initially under the logical assumption that he was joking. The Raincoats? Horrible? When I didn’t reply, he demanded, “Well? What is it, so that I can make sure never to listen to it again?” That man may not be excited about the following news, but he was clearly deranged, possibly suffered from impaired hearing, and most likely listens to Michael Bolton on a regular basis.
There’s no argument about whether or not The Raincoats are great — there simply isn’t. No one — whether or not you like their subtly off-key vocals, sporadic horns and strings, or ostensibly homemade simplicity — can deny their influence on post-punk or the female groups that have come since. Several years ago, they reissued their 1979 self-titled debut on their own label, We ThRee (The Raincoats came out in the States through Kill Rock Stars), and We ThRee has just announced a forthcoming reissue of Odyshape, The Raincoats’ 1981 sophomore album.
The reissue comes on 180-gram vinyl(/CD) and is remastered from original masters, so “Shouting Out Loud” will sound just as jarring as you remembered it. Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon, one of many illustrious Raincoats fans (and in case you, like the aforementioned customer, still need convincing: Kurt Cobain was another), wrote the liner notes for the reissue, which will be available on September 13. The best part? After the release, The Raincoats are going on tour, and in December, they’re playing Jeff Magnum’s ATP. “Horrible” indeed.
09.16.11 - Brooklyn, NY - Warsaw
09.17.11 - Washington, D.C. - Comet Ping Pong
09.19.11 - Chicago, IL - Double Door
09.21.11 - Detroit, MI - Museum of Contemporary Art
09.23.11 - Toronto, ON - Wrongbar
09.24-25.11 - Montreal, QC - Pop Montreal
• The Raincoats: http://www.theraincoats.net
