HAT SHOES (THE) – Differently Desperate – CD – ADHOC23

“Ad Hoc Records’ new, four-panel digipack reissue of The Hat Shoes debut album will be especially welcomed by lovers of intelligent and thoughtful progressive music, with a hint of Romanticism. Originally released in 1991, Differently Desperate is a studio offering of diverse avant-pop songs by a ‘super-group’ comprised of members Bill Gilonis (The Work), Catherine Jauniaux (Fluvial), Charles Hayward (This Heat, Camberwell Now) and Tom Cora (Skeleton Crew, Curlew). There’s also a slew of well-known guest performers: David Thomas, Amos, Chris Cochrane, Tim Hodgkinson, Hahn Rowne and Rick Brown, among others. At a time when most ‘Rock In Opposition’-type bands were well-known for their serious musical endeavors, some branched out to offer a lighter, more whimsical side of the genre, often exploiting ‘pop’ idioms and structures. This disc is one of the finest examples of that school of thought, and along with the related groups Officer and The Lowest Notes, goes far to dispel the myth that Rio is only for those whose tastes are mostly academic in nature. There’s even a cover of The Archies’ ‘Sugar Sugar.”

Forced Exposure