''Looking in the Shadows'' is the fourth studio album by 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 mainstream or commerci ...

group

the Raincoats The Raincoats are a British experimental post-punk band. Ana da Silva (vocals, guitar) and Gina Birch (vocals, bass) formed the group in 1977 while they were students at Hornsey College of Art in London. Signed to the label Rough Trade, the ...

, released in 1996 on 17 June by Rough Trade and on 3 June by DGC. It was the band's first album in 12 years (after 1984's '' Moving'').

Production

The album was produced by

Ed Buller Edmund Wilbur Hudson "Ed" Buller (born 9 August 1962 in Reigate, Surrey) is an English record producer and former musician. He has primarily worked with English bands including Suede, Pulp, The Raincoats and The Courteeners. Biography Buller fir ...

. The Raincoats' original members, Gina Birch and Ana da Silva, had to relearn their instruments prior to recording ''Looking in the Shadows''.

Critical reception

The '' Hartford Courant'' wrote: "With a bent toward electronic sounds and a playful, revealing manner in the lyrics, the band succeeds in creating music that reflects not some sort of nostalgia for what the Raincoats used to be but considerable understanding in what they came to be." ''

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 Raincoats may be grown up now, but on songs like 'Love a Loser' they still juxtapose harsh and sweet as bracingly as ever."

Track listing

Tracks 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 and 12 were written by Ana da Silva, the remainder by

Gina Birch Gina Birch is an English musician and filmmaker, best known as a founding member of post-punk rock band, the Raincoats. Born in Nottingham, Birch attended Nottingham High School for Girls, and later the Hornsey School of Art, where she form ...

. #"Only Tonight" – 3:30 #"Don't Be Mean" – 3:59 #"Forgotten Words" – 3:36 #"Pretty" – 4:17 #"Truth is Hard" – 2:57 #"Babydog" – 5:05 #"You Ask Why" – 3:58 #"57 Ways to End It All" – 5:31 #"So Damn Early" – 4:12 #"You Kill Me" – 3:58 #"Love a Loser" – 3:30 #"Looking in the Shadows" – 3:14

Personnel

;The Raincoats *

– vocals, bass, guitar, feedback, fuzz guitar, distortion * Ana da Silva – vocals, bass, rhythm guitar, keyboards, 12-string guitar, slide guitar, sruthi, design *Anne Wood – bass, guitar, violin with: *

– piano, Moog synthesizer *Heather Dunn – bass, drums *

Simon Fisher Turner Simon Fisher Turner (born 21 November 1954) is an English musician, songwriter, composer, producer and actor. After portraying Ned East in the 1971 BBC TV adaptation of ''Tom Brown's Schooldays'' and roles in films such as ''The Big Sleep'' (1 ...

– vocals on "Love a Loser" *

Pete Shelley Pete Shelley (born Peter Campbell McNeish; 17 April 1955 – 6 December 2018) was an English singer, songwriter and guitarist. He formed early punk band Buzzcocks with Howard Devoto in 1976, and became the lead singer and guitarist in 1977 wh ...

– vocals on "Love a Loser" ;Technical *Gary Stout – programming, computer editing * Shirley O'Loughlin – photography * Maria Mochnacz – photography

References

1996 albums The Raincoats albums Albums produced by Ed Buller Geffen Records albums Rough Trade Records albums {{1990s-rock-album-stub