''Velvet Lined Shell'' is a

mini-album A mini-LP or mini-album is a short vinyl record album or LP, usually retailing at a lower price than an album that would be considered full-length. It is distinct from an EP due to containing more tracks and a slightly longer running length. A ...

by the British singer

Toyah Willcox Toyah Ann Willcox (born 18 May 1958) is an English musician, actress, and TV presenter. In a career spanning more than 40 years, Willcox has had eight top 40 singles, released over 20 albums, written two books, appeared in over 40 stage plays an ...

, released in 2003 by her independent label Vertical Species.

Background

This release consists of six tracks, recorded in Toyah's hometown of

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

. Three of the musicians on this album, Anthony Bishop, Tim Elsenburg and Alistair Hamer, are members of the

experimental rock Experimental rock, also called avant-rock, is a subgenre of rock music that pushes the boundaries of common composition and performance technique or which experiments with the basic elements of the genre. Artists aim to liberate and innovate, with ...

band Sweet Billy Pilgrim. The material has a deliberately raw feel to it, and what Willcox described as a "darker direction". The singer named the likes of

Nick Cave Nicholas Edward Cave (born 22 September 1957) is an Australian singer, songwriter, poet, lyricist, author, screenwriter, composer and occasional actor. Known for his baritone voice and for fronting the rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Ca ...

Garbage Garbage, trash, rubbish, or refuse is waste material that is discarded by humans, usually due to a perceived lack of utility. The term generally does not encompass bodily waste products, purely liquid or gaseous wastes, or toxic waste produc ...

Mogwai Mogwai () are a Scottish post-rock band, formed in 1995 in Glasgow. The band consists of Stuart Braithwaite (guitar, vocals), Barry Burns (guitar, piano, synthesizer, vocals), Dominic Aitchison (bass guitar), and Martin Bulloch (drums). Mogw ...

and

Marilyn Manson Brian Hugh Warner (born January 5, 1969), known professionally as Marilyn Manson, is an American rock musician. He came to prominence as the lead singer of the band which shares his name, of which he remains the only constant member since it ...

amongst her newer influences. Three tracks on this album had first appeared on the 2002 EP ''Little Tears of Love'', which was sold exclusively via Willcox's website, and strictly limited to 1000 signed copies. One track from that EP, the Tim Elsenburg composition "Experience", does not feature on this album. ''Velvet Lined Shell'' was included in the '' Toyah Solo'' CD box set in February 2020. The following month, it was reissued on purple 10" vinyl.

Track listing

All tracks written by

and Tim Elsenburg. # "Every Scar Has a Silver Lining" – 3:25 # "Velvet Lined Shell" – 4:14 # "Little Tears of Love" – 3:23 # "You're a Miracle" – 3:00 # "Mother" – 4:20 # "Troublesome Thing" – 4:21

Personnel

– vocals, producer * Tim Elsenburg – guitars and backing vocals, producer, mixing *

Jon Cotton Jon Cotton is a British music producer and entrepreneur. He is CEO of production companiePoseidonanMesmerica/Moodswings LLC His previous production work includes producing 2007’s Ivor Novello winner ‘ Elusive’ by Scott Matthewsbr>(San Rem ...

– keyboards, producer, mixing * Anthony Bishop – bass guitar and backing vocals * Alistair Hamer – drums * David Singleton – mastering

References

External links

Official audio stream
on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

The official Toyah website
{{Authority control 2003 albums Toyah Willcox albums