The The – Burning Blue Soul (1993)

Often regarded as the first The The album, Burning Blue Soul was recorded in 1980 and released the following year under Matt Johnson's own name. I don't recall buying it, nor ever listening to it.

Released on 4AD, and produced partly by Johnson himself, and partly by 4AD boss Ivo Watts-Russell (as well as a couple of tracks produced by Wire's Gilbert and Lewis), it has an uncompromisingly sparse and distant sound, strangely experimental for such a young artist (Johnson was 19 at time of recording). And as you'd expect from experimental music some of it hits the mark, some of it doesn't, but there are definite signs of where Johnson was going.

We start with Red Cinders In The Sand, a dark instrumental, heavy on percussion, very atmospheric, before the first song, Song Without An Ending. To my ears, the bass is too high and vocals too low in the mix, but it's still an enjoyable listen, in a slightly discomforting sort of way. Time Again For The Golden Sunset is the first of the Gilbert/Lewis productions, and has more than a hint of their Dome works, but feels a bit hesitant. Icing Up, the longest track on the album feels a little rambling and nondescript, and while Like A Sun Risin Thru My Garden has a similar vibe, if a little more uptempo, it resonates far more with me, and that includes the strange horn outro.

Out Of Control has a Tangerine Dream-like theme which excitedly leads into Bugle Boy, much more minimal (after the obligatory bugle call), mostly just Johnson and guitar. Delirious feels just that, muddled in the way of some earlier tracks, while The River Runs East In Spring (another Gilbert/Lewis production) sounds initially like a Chinese children's choir before a clapping phase, all over a muted, slightly dicordant background. Another Boy Drowning, the final track, is possibly the most 'The The' song here, again sparse in an almost Vini Reilly way, but a fine way to end the album.

For a 19 year old, making an album in the cellar of the family home, this is a remarkable achievement. Probably not the 'undiscovered' classic some have claimed, but far better than you'd feel it has any right to be. Certainly worth a listen.

Link to album tracks

3* - At times a bit fumbling, but there's a clear vision here, which would be later realised as The The. A solid, brave debut.