For Against

Vinyl Records and Rare LPs:

December
Used - LP - D1-74781
1988 Original With Custom Card Photo Insert. LP Appears Unplayed. “For Against's Stark And Chilling Second Album Is Their Best, One Of The Most Powerful Dream Pop Releases Of The Late '80s. Harry Dingman's Icicle Shots Of Chiming Guitars, Greg Hill And Jeffrey Runnings' Agile Rhythmic Thrust, And Runnings' Boyish (But Every Bit As Forceful) Vocals Rarely Combine For A Less-Than-Riveting Listen. With Its Fluid Bass-And-Drum Punch And Enveloping Twists Of Guitars, December's Most Fitting Reference Point Is The Chameleons' Script Of The Bridge. Balancing The Aggressive With The Reserved Just As Well As Its Prime Inspiration, December's Nine Songs Float, Skip, And Roam With A Level Of Immaculately-Paced Grace That Can't Be Heard On Most Albums Of The Era. Runnings' Anguished Expressions Of Despair, Resentment, And Embittered Bile Hit With The Same Scythe-Like Precision Of Bob Mould's Best Output -- In Fact, Given The Atmospherics And Complementary Production At Play (Including The Ideal Amount Of Reverb), The Songs Are Even More Haunting Than Mould's Relatively Pure-Pop Leanings. "The Last Laugh" Is One Of The First Places To Go For An Example Of The Album At Its Best. After Runnings Accuses A Partner Of Giving Him A Nervous Breakdown And Pleads To Get His Life Back, The Song Shifts Into A Dextrous Tempo Change That Recalls The Controlled Jerkiness Of Post-Punk's Upper Tier And Spins Catharsis Back Into Fraught Tension. At 36 Minutes, December Plays Briefly But Leaves The Effect Of An Epic. Understated But Full Of Ambition, It's A Sticky Trap. Though It Was Released On A Respected Label -- Albeit One With Limited Distribution And Exposure -- It's Frustrating To Think Of How Revered It Would've Been If It Had Instead Featured A 4AD Catalog Number.” Andy Kellman, AMG. more

Echelons
New - LP - IP 019
Sealed, Rare Limited Edition 1987 Original. Not In Factory Shrink, Comes In Outer Protective Sleeve Housed In An Embossed Envelope Style Cover With Piece Of Wheat Still Intact. This Is Low Number 00030. Pristine Copy. “It May Be Strange Or Unusual To Think Of It This Way, But For Against's Debut, Echelons, First Appearing In 1987 Was In Its Own Fashion One Of The Most Important Releases Of Its Time. The Incipient Then Explicit Wave Of U.K. Post-Punk-Inspired Bands That Followed In The Trio's Wake Over Many Years, Leading Eventually To The Wider Notice Given To Groups Like Interpol, Has Definite Roots Here, Balancing An At Once Crisp, Brisk Pace And Just Enough Dreaminess In The Guitar Work, Echelons Is A Work Of Nervous Tension Throughout. Jeffrey Runnings' Singing Aims For A Quiet, Resigned Melancholy. As Opposed To, Say, Morrissey's Passionate Dramatics, Runnings Is The Lost Ghost In The Machine, Quick Studies Of Emotional Battlefields, And Not-Always-Happy Endings (And On "Loud And Clear," Useless Record Companies, Though That Well-Worn Trope Gets Handled Well Enough Here). His Balance Of That Against His Strong, At Points Doom-Laden, Bass Playing Is Often Striking; Consider The Instrumental Break On "Daylight," Where His Work Adds A Distinct Glower To The Arrangement. Guitarist/Keyboardist Harry Dingman III Knows His Factory Releases And Martin Hannett Productions, Certainly, But There's A Breadth There That Results In A Rich Texture, Suggesting What Robert Smith Might Have Done Had The Cure's Early Rushed Energy Remained A Touchstone For That Band's Later Work. The Generally Bright Sound Tinged With Darker Overtones Throughout Gets Broken Up Just Enough By Distinctly Colder Mood-Outs; The Title Track In Particular Is Practically The Equal Of, Say, "A Forest" In Terms Of Theme And Mood, While "Forget Who You Are" Is Especially Majestic, A Bass And Keyboard-Led Blend Of Dark Shadows And Sharp Drumming From Greg Hill. If Echelons Has A Distinct Sound That Doesn't Change Dramatically For Most Of The Album -- And Comparatively Speaking, The Follow-Up, December, Showcases An Even Stronger Set Of Songs And Performances -- It's Still A Spectacular Listen.” All Music Guide - Ned Raggett. more