LOVE CHILD - Never Meant To Be 1988-1993 2LP

Highly recommended.

"At dawn of the 90s, L.C's debut 7” made a splash on the burgeoning scene of shambolic bands and lo-fi recordings. They were mentioned in the same breath as Pavement, Sebadoh, or Beat Happening. But Love Child’s two great albums and sparkling singles have become the stuff of collectors, out of print, until now. This 2LP pulls from these releases and some unreleased radio sessions, unearthing a trove of lost gems by a band that could be the best of all of the 90s buried treasures. At first, Baum brought a Modern Lovers-like garage-pop attack to the band’s 19-song whirlwind debut album Okay? (Homestead, 1991) But Odes and Licht contributed songs as well, each with a distinct sonic fingerprint (One fan, Kurt Cobain, predicted L.C would become the Fleetwood Mac of the 90s). All three members were happy to trade roles and instruments from song to song, but they also had some specific chops. Licht was a bit of a guitar prodigy, having taught himself how to tap like Eddie Van Halen, but versed enough in punk to know simplicity could be just as powerful. Odes’ bellowing bass was equally prominent, and her vocals could veer quickly from sweet to snarling, like Kim Deal or Georgia Hubley with a jagged edge. Take 'Asking for It' (taken here from a 1992 Peel Session), whose righteous slam makes it a proto-riot-grrrl anthem. Not long after Okay?, Baum left, replaced by drummer Brendan O’Malley. Love Child’s sound evolved too, toward a dronier zone not far from the bubbling haze of then-nascent shoegazers like My Bloody Valentine and Slowdive. On their next album Witchcraft (Homestead, 1992), smart hooks stretched into deeper ruminations, without any loss of brashness. 'Stumbling Block' turned a riff into a minimalist mantra, while 'Wait and See' took two melodies–one sung by Licht, one by Odes–and weaved them into the band’s most hypnotic moment on record." - Marc Masters