(Translated from my original Italian text by ChatGPT and Piero Scaruffi)
The Pastels were perhaps the foremost exponents of Scotland's “anorak pop,” setting the standard for catchiness and intimacy within the genre.
Their songs drew inspiration from the naive, sentimental choruses of the 1960s, sometimes verging on cloyingly childlike. Over five years they released Heaven's Above (1982), I Wonder Why (1983), the masterpiece Something Going On (1984), A Million Tears (1984), I'm Alright With You (1985), and Truck Train Tractor (1986), a driving T. Rex–style boogie. The most distinctive feature of their sound is the voice of Stephen “Pastel” McRobbie, adenoidal in a way reminiscent of Jonathan Richman. Their singles were later compiled on Truckload Of Trouble (Seed, 1993).
Their albums quickly positioned them as the British answer to the American Beat Happening. On Up For A Bit (Glass, 1987 – Creation, 2004), their first album, tracks like Crawl Babies, Ride, and Baby Honey exemplified the same simple, innocent style, lightly disrupted by intentional amateurism. The single Comin' Through was unusually rough, even featuring a tinkling xylophone.
Sittin’ Pretty (Homestead, 1989) dared to venture into noise-rock territory with Baby You're Just You and Sit On It Mother, while Nothing To Be Done is a gentle duet between Pastel and the other singer, Aggi Wright. Shedding the image of eternal pop children, the Pastels engaged with the tradition descending from the Velvet Underground.
Continuing in this vein of elevated “songwriting,” the Pastels moved toward increasingly introspective and quirky music, ultimately emerging as precursors of the “lo-fi pop” that became popular in the U.S. during the 1990s. They also openly acknowledged a debt to American masters Daniel Johnston and Jad Fair for the heartfelt ditties Thru Your Heart (1991, written by newcomer Katrina Mitchell) and Thank You For Being You (1993). The Pastels were also among the first to conceive of a rock band as a collective of multi-instrumentalists rotating among instruments, deliberately resisting the diktat of technical virtuosity.
Preceded by the single
Yoga (Domino), the album Mobile Safari (Domino, 1995)
crowned Katrina Mitchell and Aggi Wright as the artistic leaders.
Worlds Of Possibility and Exploration Team are the highlights.
(Original English text by Piero Scaruffi)
Two Sunsets (2009) was a collaboration between
Scotland's Pastels and Japan's Tenniscoats.
Illumination (Up, 1997) is truly a collaborative effort, as all three
members share vocal duties.
The Viaduct, Cycle, Unfair Kind Of Fame and
The Hits Hurt rank among their best, although the album as a whole
sounds like a repetition of their 15-year career.
Illuminati (Up, 1999) remixes a few songs of the album.
The Last Great Wilderness (2003) is a movie soundtrack.
Slow Summits (Domino, 2013) was the first Pastels album in a decade.
