''Against Perfection'' is the debut album by the British
alternative rock
Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...
band
Adorable. It was released in the UK on 1 March 1993 on
Creation Records
Creation Records Ltd. was a British independent record label founded in 1983 by Alan McGee, Dick Green, and Joe Foster. Its name came from the 1960s band The Creation, whom McGee greatly admired. The label ceased operations in 1999, although ...
and in the United States by
SBK. The band supported the album with a North American tour.
"Still Life" was recorded without the inclusion of drums. "Sunshine Smile" was a college radio hit.
Critical reception
''
The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'' wrote that the album "sometimes balances the harsh and the lyrical in the manner of My Bloody Valentine, but ultimately seems more indebted to the minor-key epics of early Echo and the Bunnymen." The ''
Waterloo Region Record
The ''Waterloo Region Record'' (formerly ''The Record'') is the daily newspaper covering Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada, including the cities of Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge, as well as the surrounding area. Since December 1998, the ''Re ...
'' noted that "all twelve songs on this release sound pretty much the same, with Piotr Fijalkowski's very power-wave British vocals set against guitars that threaten to jangle but usually just screech." ''
Trouser Press
''Trouser Press'' was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow fan of the Who Dave Schulps and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" (a reference to ...
'' praised the "sharp, varied songs that are by turns pretty, soaring and brooding."
In 2016, ''
Pitchfork
A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves.
The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...
'' ranked ''Against Perfection'' at number 42 on its list of "The 50 Best Shoegaze Albums of All Time".
Track listing
;UK version
#"Glorious" – 4:17
#"Favourite Fallen Idol" – 2:41
#"A to Fade In" – 4:50
#"I Know You Too Well" – 3:41
#"Homeboy" – 4:30
#"Sistine Chapel Ceiling" – 3:34
#"Cut #2" – 4:43
#"Crash Sight" – 4:02
#"Still Life" – 2:37
#"Breathless" – 5:18
;US version
#"Sunshine Smile" – 5:03
#"Glorious" – 4:17
#"Favourite Fallen Idol" – 2:41
#"A to Fade In" – 4:50
#"I Know You Too Well" – 3:41
#"Homeboy" – 4:30
#"Sistine Chapel Ceiling" – 3:34
#"Cut #2" – 4:43
#"Crash Sight" – 4:02
#"Still Life" – 2:37
#"Breathless" – 5:18
#"I'll Be Your Saint" – 3:32
;Japan version
#"Glorious" – 4:17
#"Favourite Fallen Idol" – 2:41
#"A to Fade In" – 4:50
#"I Know You Too Well" – 3:41
#"Homeboy" – 4:30
#"Sistine Chapel Ceiling" – 3:34
#"Cut #2" – 4:43
#"Crash Sight" – 4:02
#"Still Life" – 2:37
#"Breathless" – 5:18
#"Sunshine Smile" – 5:03
#"I'll Be Your Saint" – 3:32
#"Summerside" – 2:49
Personnel
*
Piotr Fijalkowski – vocals, guitar
*Robert Dillam – guitar
*Stephen "Wil" Williams – bass
*Kevin Gritton – drums
Charts
References
{{Authority control
1993 debut albums
Creation Records albums
Adorable (band) albums
Albums produced by Alan Moulder
Shoegaze albums