Just South of Heaven explained

Just South of Heaven
Type:ep
Artist:Crime & the City Solution
Cover:Crime and the City Solution - Just South of Heaven.jpeg
Released:1985
Recorded:July 1985
Studio:Strongroom, London
Genre:Post-punk, punk blues
Length:28:20
Label:Mute
Prev Title:The Dangling Man
Prev Year:1985
Next Title:Room of Lights
Next Year:1986

Just South of Heaven is an EP by Crime & the City Solution, released in 1985 through Mute Records.

Reception

The EP received quite favorable reviews upon release. Mat Snow, writing for NME, noted similarities of the band's sound to that of The Birthday Party and compared Bonney's vocals to "Tom Waits throwing up into a fried-egg sandwich." He writes however, that "Harvey, Soundtracks and the Howard brothers are developing into something equally commanding [to that of The Birthday Party's music] [...] should Simon Bonney ever outgrow this fetishism, then Crime and the City Solution will achieve the truly distinct greatness promised by this record. They're just a kiss away from the pearly gates." Writing for Trouser Press, David Sheridan called the album "cleaner and more powerful [than ''[[The Dangling Man]] EP]: all six tracks work well. Howard's guitar is as strong as ever, but piano and organ figure just as prominently. A hauntingly beautiful record by a well- integrated band."

Allmusic went on to pick the EP as the highlight of the band's discography, with Robert Gordon writing: "Aussies with a gothic vision of the American South."

Personnel

Crime & the City Solution
Production and additional personnel

Notes and References

  1. Book: Lazell, Barry . Indie Hits 1980–1989 . Cherry Red Books . 1997 . September 5, 2014 . bot: unknown . https://web.archive.org/web/20110605132906/http://www.cherryred.co.uk/books/indiehits/c.htm . June 5, 2011 .