I began listening to the Raincoats in July 2025.
The Raincoats (1979): A-
Odyshape (1981): A-
Moving (1984): A
The Raincoats (1979):
The Raincoats (1979):
As much as amateurish musicianship can be a positive in punk rock, it can also be a negative. Take "Fairytale in the Supermarket," the Raincoats' first single, an okay song if not for a laughably bad intro. Inexperience can be fruitful grounds to display unbridled talent, fresh songwriting, and pure intentions, but it can also result in poor timing, screw-ups, and dissonance. Everybody has their own propensity for the downsides of amateurism and, for me, the group's growth in between their first single and their debut album changed this female post-punk group from a joke into yet another completely original evolution within England's fruitful punk rock grounds. With medium tempos, chill electric guitars, and "sawing" violin playing, this 1979 release takes punk rock's ideals and puts them into something of a folk rock setting. Ana da Silva's lead is key. Her lyrics explore female struggles, she writes unique vocal melodies, and she softly sings the shit out of her English accent. The backing vocals are great too, the bass playing stands out, and the great Lora Logic even shows up on one song. A-
Odyshape (1981):
Although the Raincoats started out as a fake-it-til-you-make-it punk rock group, their somewhat folky sound, their unique identity as an all-female band, and Ana da Silva's impressive poetic hand elevated their debut to a legitimately essential and delightful endeavor. But the group wasn't satisfied with their rickety sound. Two years after their debut, the Raincoats--now only a trio thanks to drummer Palmolive's departure--return with some genuinely virtuosic instrumentation. Odyshape is an abstract, elusive, and ambitious art piece with a conceptual direction that is well-embodied in the faceless woman on the cover art. Although it's interesting to ponder how much more conventional the album would have sounded with Palmolive's continued presence, the group's lack of a drummer for these sessions ultimately proved a gift. A traditional drum set is still used from time to time, but the percussion is mostly defined by worldly instruments that make a graceful racket behind Ana's soft approach to vocals, Gina Birch's outstanding bass work, and Vicky Aspinall's eerie violin playing. A-
Moving (1984):
On their third album, the Raincoats continue to trust their primordial inclinations to search for new terrain and sounds. Because their music is already so unparalleled, it's hard not to begrudgingly compare Moving to their previous work Odyshape, for both favor worldly influences, surprising vocal melodies, dynamic song structures, and high production value. But even still, Moving is a distant relative to the Raincoats' past work. It's faster, it boasts a bigger collection of backing musicians, and it's openly wacky and free-spirited (you surely won't miss the "hip hop" lyric on "Dance of the Hopping Mad"). Every song is a knock-out success and the shuffled track-list on the 1994 reissue sounds just natural as the original 1984 order. Although the Raincoats arguably reached something of a peak with this release, the band regrettably broke up soon after the release, putting an end to their original run. A
