MOJO
02/2005, by Max Décharné
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Long-awaited second album
from Berlin and Prague-based Aussie/English trio. Back in 1997 The Fatal Shore released
their fine debut album, which deserved much greater attention than it received. This new
record has been a long time coming, but it's worth the wait. Bruno Adams, Phil Shöenfelt
and Chris Hughes operate somewhere in the Lee Hazlewood / Nick Cave mould, but with an
eastern European twist: low-slung, gravelly vocals, an atmospheric blend of acoustic and
electric guitars backed by inventive percussion. 100° In The Shade pounds along with a
Paint It Black-style swagger, The Fields Of Summer could soundtrack a road movie while the
sparse Closing Time stacks the chairs on the tables and collects up the empties. For the
cover artwork, they made up a bunch of metal signs with the title stamped on them, took
them into the woods outside Berlin and blasted them full of holes. A direct hit. (4
stars)
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