THE SUNDAYS



Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic (1989)



Rating (Out of 10): 7.5

Tracklisting: Skin & Bones/Here’s Where The Story Ends/Can’t Be Sure/I Won/Hideous Towns/You’re Not The One I Know/A Certain Someone/I Kicked A Boy/My finest Hour/Joy

I bought this album about 6 years ago in a charity shop for £1. I think I got a pretty good bargain! The Sundays were one of dozens of new bands that emerged in the late 80’s/early 90’s that were heavily influenced by The Smiths, and they are the only one of this breed of bands that I can actually bear! For unlike Gene, Suede et al, The Sundays are capable of carrying off a heavy Smiths influence without blatantly trying to copy them. Perhaps having a female lead singer gives them a different edge, but they seem able to carry their own identity which is something that Suede and Gene never managed to do. They also have a very similar sound to 10,000 Maniacs which isn’t a bad thing either.

The Sundays are a Manchester Quartet comprising Harriet Wheeler on vocals, David Gavurin on Guitar, Paul Brindley on Bass, and Patrick Hannan on drums. The focal point of the sound is Wheeler voice which is sharp, distinctive and can be a bit grating after a while, but definitely remains as the band’s dominant feature. Music-wise they are very much guitar-led with a very indie type style. Overall ‘Reading Writing and Arithmetic’ is a very strong first album that earned The Sundays a lot of fans. The band’s biggest hit, ‘Here’s where the story ends’ which was covered a few years ago by some easily forgettable pop act with disastrous results, is definitely the strongest track on the album. It’s very catchy and instantly likeable. The guitar sound on the track is definitely very much influenced by Johnny Marr and Wheeler sings in that Morrissey-like, very English, very enunciated way. Lyrically, most of the songs on the album have very Morrissey-esque lyrics. In fact there’s very little about The Sundays that aren’t similar to The Smiths and Morrissey but they possess enough individuality to be able to carry it off. There’s some very good songs on here and The Sunday’s are a very likeable and talented band. It’s definitely an album that’s worth checking out.

BACK TO INDEX       BACK TO MUSIC REVIEWS INDEX