CODEINE 黑胶唱片和CD

Review: A classic album in the category of slowcore - which emerged in the late 80s and early 90s as a reaction to the fast and noisy music of punk and hardcore - Codeine's The White Birch is the band's final project. Whereas their first project was a proto-slowcore album to say the least, this finale came at a time in which the genre had fully formed and found its corner. The band by now were building on the bare bones of the sound, adding more melodic variation and extra-ambitious arrangements to an already refined vision. The up-close-and-personal feel of cuts like 'Smoking Room' in particular make us feel like we're right there in the recording studio with Codeine, as if to convey the true rawness of the emotions they'd always tried to convey, but could only accrue the resources and expertise to do during their last hurrah. Fans will be pleased to hear Numero Group are locking in a full reissue bundle of their first and last albums, of which this version of 'The White Birch' is a part.

Review: Numero Group have embarked on a reissues bundle of slowcore pioneer band Codeine's first and last albums, as well as an intermediary EP. 'Frigid Stars' is the former, and made for a remarkable debut album, epitomizing the late-80s-to-early-90s sound that still continues to influence trailblazers in the genre to this day, from Deathcrash to Bardo Pond. Codeine laid it bare before its name was coined: proto-slowcore is heavy, but not aggressive; quiet, but not silent; its vocals are hushed but present, perhaps reflecting the mood of doom that had set upon the local music scene in New York, where the band originate from. Thematically, the LP deals with angsty themes from loss to despair, with choice cuts like 'When I See The Sun' lumbering through ultra-reverb, gothic melodic lulls and guitarry plods to the death.

Review: Numero's mammoth reissues campaign of the work of the band Codeine continues. This time around, it's their 1992 EP 'Barely Real', which heard the slowcore group expand their repertoire from the formerly rather sparse debut LP Frigid Stars into a quartet-backed tearjerker. First intended as material for their album The White Birch, various mishaps led to the bad only having enough for an EP. That said, it's no less beautiful, with tracks like 'Barely Real' and 'Realize' revelling in "whiny" vocals, dubiously emotive rumble-chords, and deep womps of bass - electric earthquakes setting the scene for a huge lament.

Review: Codeine were a short-lived band whose exacting nature and hyperpfocused craft, while cementing their early success in the early 1990s, might also have contributed to their downfall. Dessau was the band's second LP, and their last project to be released, before their split due to creative differences (the album was originally shelved). The eight-track album is nevertheless an early slowcore gem, packed with melodic elysia, colossal and crisp drumming, and revolutionary ideas for an emo renaissance.

Review: Experience two of Joy Division's iconic post-punk tracks like never before with exclusive 7" vinyl from Numero Group. Codeine's 1994 rendition of 'Atmosphere' captures the essence of solitude with a melancholic yet melodic twist that marked the iconic Manchester band's poignant farewell. Meanwhile, Bedhead from Dallas offers a fresh perspective on 'Disorder' and transforms it into vibrant indie rock. Encased in a sleek black and silver sleeve adorned with embossed braille lettering, these twin readings pay homage to Joy Division's enduring legacy while inviting listeners to explore new interpretations of their timeless classics.