– The Veldt – The Everlasting Gobstopper – 1986/2023 – Soon to be Released – 5BC Records –
Something special tonight. One of the tracks off the upcoming release of the intended-but-never-issued debut album by The Veldt. Originally produced by Robin Guthrie in 1989 as lead track off Illuminated 1989, it was dropped by their label at the time, Capitol in favor of Marigolds. The album sat unissued and only recently has been discovered and finally given the release it was originally intended in 1989. Produced then by Robin Guthrie of The Cocteau Twins and remixed now by Robin Guthrie. It certainly gives pause to the logic often employed by the Majors over what gets issued and what doesn’t.
The Everlasting Gobstopper has been a staple in The Veldt’s repertoire all this time and hearing it as it was originally intended in 1989, but envisioned through the ears of 2023 is a revelation. First off, Guthries deft use of a rich musical palette conveys a stunning aural presence, bringing out the truly adventuresome soul of this band, giving ample proof why The Veldt has been one of the driving forces in a genre that still sends shivers and weaves dreams.
But what I find the most interesting is how The Veldt, even during that early period, was mashing up and experimenting and cross-pollinating a lot of different styles and genres. I believe their influence has been much broader and all-encompassing than you might expect. In listening to various examples of the current crop of live hip-hop (live, not studio), you can hear just how strong The Veldt’s influence has been, even in that genre. They’re everywhere. That’s nice.
So this revisited debut of The Everlasting Gobstopper thoroughly succeeds in grabbing attention and makes for repeat listening. For me, it’s always been the overwhelming success of a band or artist if they can do what reading a good book does – the more you come back to it the more discoveries you make – the little things leap out at you. The whole picture becomes clear – you are left feeling warm and embraced. The Veldt have always managed to do that, pretty effortlessly too.
The rest of the album is coming out later on this year – in the meantime, stay tuned and dive in.
