Starter List: Catherine Wheel

Sundays are for starter lists and stellar listens ...

Happy Sunday to all of the music lovers!

We’re getting an internet update today, upgrading our access to fiber. That meant a morning full of cleaning baseboards where they’d be drilling and setting up (because who does that as often as they should), a frantically barking dog, and the lovely sound of drilling through brick.

But if it means faster internet speeds, it means I’ll be able to more speedily complete work tasks, which means more time for music seeking, listening, and sharing. I can get behind that!

Catherine Wheel

I DID NOT first find the goodness of Catherine Wheel via their 1995 release, Happy Days. Although I quite enjoy that album, and I’m thrilled they got a bit of commercial success with “Judy Staring At The Sun,” it was actually their 1993 release, Chrome, that introduced me to the band.

I loved the mixture of deep and melodic vocals paired with sludgy and distorted guitars. I also loved the soft darkness and almost gentle despair in many of the tracks, as I was dealing with my mother’s illness which would result in her passing in 1994. This gentle darkness spoke to me and soothed me. It was comfort music, a sonic blanket of sorts.

When Happy Days came out, as per usual I found a deeper cut that did a lot more for me than the single. “My Exhibition” is my favorite cut from the album. I love the faster pace and the vibe. “Heal” is another favorite, as at the time of the album’s release, I was still dealing with that aftermath of my mother’s passing and healing was something I was trying very hard to do.

All of that means Catherine Wheel has a special spot in my discography and my heart, even all these years later.

The Playlists

Listen with Apple Music:
https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/starter-list-catherine-wheel/pl.u-38oW5R8uYDGyzRm

Listen with Tidal:
https://tidal.com/browse/playlist/aad9fa1e-44e3-4c69-9a5b-cdc74d318bb0

Are you a Catherine Wheel fan? If so, did my starter list do the band justice? And if you’re new to these bastions of the 90’s British scene, what did you think? Did anything tickle your ears? I’d love to know!