To celebrate the 20th anniversary of its release, Bella Union today announce the vinyl reissue of Moratoria, the cult debut album from Bikini Atoll, on 13th December via the label. The album comes with new artwork and is available to pre-order here. To accompany the announcement the band have shared the retouched video for LP highlight ‘Cheap Trick ‘directed by Enrico Lando – watch here:
Released via Bella Union in 2004, the debut album from the quartet of Joe Gideon, his sister – former Olympic gymnast – Viva Seifert, Bastian Juel and Ché Albrighton is a collection of crushingly graceful songs which showcased the band’s uncanny knack for creating beauty from sadness. From the opening swirl and buzz of the instrumental title track to the echoing ghosts that fade out sprawling closer ‘Clear Water Gravity’, Moratoria pierces emotional trigger-points with the precision of a master acupuncturist. Along the way it gathers soaring post-rock, clanging alt-rock and moments of sparseness and serenity, reaching its epic and melancholic high point via the fragile lament of ‘Desolation Highway’. (Paul Maps – Joyzine)
Following widespread acclaim for Moratoria, Bikini Atoll gained a cult following before disbanding a few years later following the release of their Steve Albini-produced second album, Liar’s Exit. Frontman Joe Gideon subsequently went on to form another much-loved cult outfit, Joe Gideon & The Shark, with his sister Viva, and recently released a solo album titled Altered Self on Labelman Records. He is currently touring Europe with King Hannah. Meanwhile, Viva has a new band called Lunge that she formed with her husband Mark Cleveland from the Archie Bronson Outfit. Ché Albrighton went on to play in Clock Opera and Bastian went on to play bass on tour with MEW and Mercury Rev.
“You’ll be floored by the magnificence of ‘Desolation Highway’: conjured up using a Mogwai-like attention to atmosphere and Ian McCulloch’s vocal cool,
its’ an awesome, soul-searching slice of sprawling Americana.” NME (Single of the Week)
Moratoria album artwork and tracklist:
1. Moratoria
2. Then Amplify
3. Cinnamon
4. Black River Falls
5. Black Dog
6. Cheap Trick
7. Perfect Method Flawed
8. Desolation Highway
9. Clear Water Gravity
(photo credit: Andy Yates)
