Winks & Kisses [20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition]

by Airiel

Overview

Chicago-based shoegaze group Airiel's first major statement wasn't their full-length debut, but a series of four EPs issued by Clairecords throughout 2003 and 2004. The four installments of Winks & Kisses (Frosted, Dizzy, Melted, and Crackled) established the band's lush, wistful style of dreamy indie pop, proving the group to be experts at creating aquatic washes of sound as well as heart-on-sleeve lyrics. The band's noisier, more abrasive efforts include the breezy, blown-out "Kiss Me Slowly," which marries Galaxie 500-like vocals with a Madchester-esque rhythm and a gale of guitars, and the tense, clattering "Jeanette," which nearly could've fit on My Bloody Valentine's Isn't Anything. Elsewhere, there are gentler, more spacious, and sometimes downright romantic songs like "Halo" (one of each EP's tracks to stretch out around ten minutes) and the late-era Cocteau Twins-reminiscent "Firefly." The blissful reverie "Sharron Apple" (later re-recorded for 2017's Molten Young Lovers) would be a career highlight for most bands, but it isn't even the best song from Melted. That would be the tremendous "In Your Room," which resembles an ecstatically happy cousin of Ride's "Vapour Trail," and has reached a comparable cult status among shoegaze fans. Rounding out the final EP, "Where It Belongs" is crushingly heavy in an addictive way, and the swirling "Shirley Temple Tidal Wave" is comforting in its gloominess. Winks & Kisses is a highlight of shoegaze's second wave. [In 2023, Feeltrip Records released a 20th anniversary deluxe remastered edition of Winks & Kisses. All four EPs are expanded to a full disc each, with the addition of demos and unreleased material. The demos date back to the group's 1997 formation, and the early versions of the EP tracks generally aren't fundamentally different than the more cleaned-up final versions, showing how the group established their core sound on arrival, then simply improved from there. Many of the previously unreleased songs are instrumentals and textural workouts, along with a few rough, noisy experiments like "Ventilator" and the harshly beautiful "Wasteland Cupid." Even when it sounds like Airiel are trying out a half-developed idea or getting some aggression out of their system, the results still sound uncommonly lovely.] ~ Paul Simpson

Product Details

Release Date:	04/05/2024
Label:	Feeltrip
UPC:	0762183847123
Rank:	42977

Tracks

Disc 1

1. Liquid Paper
2. Kiss Me Slowly
3. Rainflower
4. Halo
5. Liquid Paper ['00 demo]
6. Kiss Me Slowly ['00 demo]
7. Rainflower ['00 demo]
8. Halo ['00 demo]
9. Cobalt ['98 demo]
10. Pineapple ['98 demo]

Disc 2

11. Stratosphere
12. Ri
13. This Is Why I Can't Sleep
14. 500 Deep
15. Ri ['98 demo]
16. This Is Why I Can't Sleep ['00 demo]
17. October's Theme ['01 demo]
18. Ping ['99 demo]
19. Crash Override ['98 demo]
20. Stationary Lights ['97 demo]

Disc 3

21. Jeanette
22. Sharron Apple
23. Firefly
24. In Your Room
25. Jeanette ['98 demo]
26. Firefly ['01 demo]
27. In Your Room ['98 demo]
28. Prophet 5 ['98 demo]
29. Iodine ['98 demo]
30. Ventilator ['98 demo]

Disc 4

31. Airtight Angels
32. Swimming Through Us
33. Where It Belongs
34. Shirley Temple Tidal Wave
35. Airtight Angels ['01 demo]
36. Swimming Through Us ['01 demo]
37. Shirley Temple Tidal Wave ['97 demo]
38. The Couch ['98 demo]
39. Rose Cardigan Cloud ['97 demo]
40. Wasteland Cupid ['97 demo]

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Airiel   Primary Artist

Technical Credits

Jeremy Wrenn   Composer