James

UK first press 1988. Record plays EX.
Pre stadium singalongs, pre Sit Down dads at weddings. This is James when they were all twitchy rhythm, frantic strumming and Tim Booth sounding like he’s halfway through a mild existential crisis. It’s got that late 80s indie urgency where everything feels very important and slightly on the brink. Dramatic but still danceable if you’re the kind of person who dances by nodding intensely. Proper early era energy. FFO The Smiths with more panic, The House of Love, The Railway Children, New Order when they were feeling jangly