The Only Way To Gain Approval Is By Exploiting The Very Thing That Cheapens Me

On Bandcamp Friday, The Anchoress released a cover version of This Is Yesterday, which originally appeared on Manic Street Preachers' 1994 album The Holy Bible. The timing is not insignificant: Richey Edwards went missing on 1st February 1995.

In the press release, Catherine Anne Davies wrote, 

"I thought I would return to the beginning of it all and the band that originally sparked my obsession with music, literature and all things cultural, who I’m lucky enough to have gone on and collaborated and worked with - the Manic Street Preachers.

It was a pretty tall order to choose a Manics song to reimagine but I settled on the majestic “This Is Yesterday” from The Holy Bible, reworked here in collaboration with the talented Charlie Cawood and my now overflowing collection of vintage synths. Of course you can’t improve upon the original, but I hope this version captures some of my own bittersweet nostalgia for the purity of childhood that, for me, the song effortlessly evokes."

 

Here's the original version:

...and a solo acoustic version performed by James Dean Bradfield in concert in 2011 (yes, that's Allen Toussaint and John Grant sitting on stage behind him):

 

The Anchoress follows a similar, plucked acoustic path to JDB but the addition of the synth tones underpins her beautifully poised vocals. 

 

This Is Yesterday is available as a digital purchase for a very limited time and whilst it may follow the trend of 2022's cover version EPs and eventually be included on a physical release, why wait? 

 

I'm seeing The Anchoress live in concert in May and I am really, really looking forward to it.

 

Heaven Leads To Hell

Side 2 of a mixtape, recorded 13th July 1997 and featuring a selection of 1990s favourites.

First appearance on this blog for German acid techno duo Hardfloor aka Oliver Bondzio and Ramon Zenker. Mr. Anderson was an early single on the Harthouse label, typical of the Hardfloor sound with hard beats and a chorus of Roland TB-303 bass synthesizers in the breakdown. 

 

Propellerheads aka Alex Gifford and Will White were everywhere in the mid-late 1990s, collaborating with Dame Shirley Bassey and composing the theme tune to The Graham Norton Show on Channel 4. They were also ubiquitous remixers and this, combined with Manic Street Preachers' James Dean Bradfield on vocals, helped (excuse the pun) propel Lopez by 808 State to #20 in the UK singles chart in February 1997.

A Man Called Adam aka Sally Rodgers and Steve Jones called in another duo, Glasgow heavyweights Slam aka Stuart MacMillan and Order Meikle, to remix Bread, Love And Dreams from their debut album The Apple. The sleeve of the single features Sally Rodgers' arse but there's not a single bum note (sorry, no more puns) in this remix.

 

I bought the 12" single of Sincere / 3-Wheel Crash by Robin Reliant for the sole reason that it was on the Finiflex label and it turned out to be a safe bet. Robin Hickman is joined on The Unstable Mix of the latter by John Vick and Fred Parsons aka Mr. Samples and Phunky Torso for ten minutes of progressive house, which really hits the spot.

 

Bumble were an early 1990s act that sought to marry club beats with traditional Irish music. 1992's West In Motion was released on U2's Mother label (yes, really). It caught the attention of Andrew Weatherall who provided an epic twelve minute remix, which itself laid the groundwork for his subsequent and equally epic remix of Peace Together with Sabres Of Paradise. The original cassette compilation featured Bumble's own club mix of the track, featuring Breda Mayock on vocals. I've swapped it here, mainly because I haven't ripped the 12" single in full but also because it gives me an excuse to include an alternative Weatherall mix, which appeared on a white label 12" and the CD single. 

 

Rounding things off is System 7 aka Steve Hillage and Miquette Giraudy, with the lush synth-rinsed breakbeats of Interstate, as remixed by Doc Scott. I'm a huge fan of System 7 and the duo's ongoing thirst for collaboration with contemporary artists. Simultaneously urgent and calming, this mix of Interstate is eight minutes but could have stretched to at least twice the length and not outstayed it's welcome. 

1) Mr. Anderson: Hardfloor (1994)

2) Lopez (Hard On) (A Progressive Mix By The Propellerheads): 808 State ft. James Dean Bradfield (1997)

3) Bread, Love And Dreams (Slam Mix): A Man Called Adam (1992)

4) 3-Wheel Crash (The Unstable Mix): Robin Reliant (1993)

5) West In Motion (Andrew Weatherall Drum Mix): Bumble (1992)

6) Interstate (Doc Scott Mix): System 7 (1995)

Side Two (46:55) (Box) (Mega)

Your Worst Case Scenario

Catherine Anne Davies aka Catherine A.D. aka The Anchoress is a multi-instrumentalist and creative polymath, who has supported Manic Street Preachers, been a member of Simple Minds' touring band and been releasing music in her own right since 2010. 

My introduction came in 2020, during the UK lockdown, with In Memory Of My Feelings, a collaboration with Bernard Butler which had been recorded prior to her debut album as The Anchoress and was belatedly released on Pete Paphides' wonderful Needle Mythology label. In 2021, Catherine's second album as The Anchoress, The Art Of Losing, proved to be another highlight of the year and from there on I was completely hooked.

 

Much has been written about Catherine's approach to creating music and the lyrical content of her songs and I can't really add to or enhance that. Simply put, the songs resonate on so many levels, beautifully layered soundscapes, rich vocals and lyrics that do not shy away from grief, loss, abuse and prejudice. Yet, there's also something uplifting, cathartic and at times euphoric in these songs, which reward repeated listening and reading. 

 

An early release as Catherine A.D. collected a number of cover versions by a diverse range of artists from Fleetwood Mac to Bon Iver to The Crystals. Catherine's continued to revisit her inspirations with a series of limited release cover versions in the past couple of years to tie in with Bandcamp Friday, many of which have appeared in Dubhed selections. Four of these have been collected as Versions/EP 1, featuring Catherine's interpretations of Depeche Mode, Halsey, Nico and Nirvana. The latest blink-and-you'll-miss-it cover is an acoustic rework of Friday I'm In Love by The Cure, following a previous synth-heavy version released in June, and available for a few more days on Bandcamp.

 

So perhaps unsurprisingly today's selection is split into two sides. The first covers Catherine's own songs, including collaborations with Bernard Butler, Paul Draper and James Dean Bradfield. The flip side is all covers, avoiding ones which I've posted previously...I think! It's hard to keep track sometimes.

 

Catherine had to withdraw from a planned support slot with Manic Street Preachers and a solo tour last year for health reasons, and the latter is currently rescheduled for spring 2023. I'm planning to be there.

 

In the meantime, as well as shopping at The Anchoress' Bandcamp page, I'd also recommend a visit to her YouTube page, which is a treasure trove of live performances, videos and remixes.

Side One

1) All Farewells Should Be Sudden: The Anchoress (2021)

2) P.S. Fuck You: The Anchoress (2016)

3) Judas: Catherine Anne Davies & Bernard Butler (2020)

4) You And Only You: The Anchoress ft. Paul Draper (2016)

5) The Exchange: The Anchoress ft. James Dean Bradfield (2021)

6) The Patron Saint Of The Lost Cause (Album Version): Catherine Anne Davies & Bernard Butler (2020)

Side Two

1) The Book Of Love (Cover of The Magnetic Fields): Catherine A.D. (2010)

2) Bizarre Love Triangle (Cover of New Order): The Anchoress (2022)

3) Paris (Cover of Friendly Fires): Catherine A.D. (2012)

4) Pennyroyal Tea (Cover of Nirvana): The Anchoress (2022)

5) Live To Tell (Cover of Madonna): Catherine Anne Davies & Bernard Butler (2020)

6) I Have Never Loved Someone (Cover of My Brightest Diamond): Catherine A.D. (2012)

2010: Carry Your Heart EP: B1

2012: Reprise: The Covers Collection: B1, B3, B6

2016: Confessions Of A Romance Novelist: A2, A4

2020: In Memory Of My Feelings: A3, A6, B5

2021: The Art Of Losing: A1, A5

2022: Bizarre Love Triangle EP: B2

2022: Pennyroyal Tea EP: B4

Side One (22:41)

Side Two (22:48)

Faith In Possession Is Just This Week's New Obsession

Catherine Anne Davies has released two brilliant albums in as many years. Her collaboration with Bernard Butler, In Memory Of My Feelings, was one of my highlights of 2020 and her latest album as The Anchoress, The Art Of Losing, is already doing the same in 2021.

A number of singles/videos have been released from the album, but it's a fantastic listen from start to finish. The Exchange features a duet with James Dean Bradfield and The Anchoress will be supporting Manic Street Preachers on their UK tour later this year. I'm going to see them at Bath Forum in October - at this point in time, promising to be only my second gig this year - and to say I'm looking forward to it would be a massive understatement.

The Anchoress / Catherine Anne Davies on Bandcamp
 
The Exchange: The Anchoress ft. James Dean Bradfield (2021) (3:24)