For a time in the late '80s, somewhere between the demise of the Smiths and the onslaught of the Roses, you couldn't break into a bedsit without tripping over a copy of The Sundays' "Reading, Writing and Arithmetic". Chiming hall-of- residence masterpiece in the bag, they disappeared, briefly emerging with the enigmatic "Blind" before going AWOL once more. Now they're communicating with planet Earth again, in their own language. Harriet Wheeler still has that voice, the elasticity of which allows her notes that other singers wouldn't even dream of, and David Gavurin's beguilingly simple arrangements boast more than their fair share of irrepressible hooks.
But while songs like "Summertime", "She" and "Your Eyes" could conceivably have appeared on either of the previous albums, changes are afoot. Recorded in their home studio, "Static and Silence" is an altogether more confortable experience than either of its predecessors, with tracks like "Folk Song" and "I Can't Wait" at home with their own intimacy.
4/5
Soundbite: "Look forward to months of Sundays"
Dan Phelan