Hope Chest

Just another piece of evidence that artists do their best work young. Sonically interesting, lyrically inspiring....

Hope Chest: The Fredonia Recordings 1982-1983 compiles tracks from their early releases Human Conflict Number Five and Secrets of the I Ching, two very scarce albums. These songs have all been remastered from their original counterparts. More importantly, these songs demonstrate the obvious burgeoning genius of Natalie Merchant but also showcase Rob Buck's virtuoso guitar playing, and what was to come from John Lombardo's future project after he ultimately leaves the 10,000 Maniacs, John & Mary the husband wife duo with Mary Ramsey. The sonic quality of these early tracks feels significantly different than any of their post Wishing Chair work; think of Johnny Marr's spider riffs a la Smiths with a touch of raggae along with Merchant's amazing voice and you have an amazing collection of rare songs from a great Upstate New York band.

This album is great, but admitedly, it takes an acquired taste to appreciate it. If you are a fan of 10,000 Maniacs or of Natalie Merchant, this album has a lot of good tracks that show off their early, individual talents as a band. A lot of the songs sound light with little production, but it serves to focus on the groups ability to sound great by themselves. Natalie's early vocals are clearly not as strong as her later work, but she does sound fresh, young, and able to belt it out. Planned Obsolescence is amazing!!