AMG Review of Black Spring

Jason Ankeny
All Music Guide

With their fourth EP, Black Spring, Lush took their first steps out of the shadow of the Cocteau Twins. While the angelic vocals and swirling, hypnotic guitar of lead track "Nothing Natural" still evoke the Cocteaus (whose Robin Guthrie produces, further muddying the waters), an insistent bassline and energetic drums clearly align the song with the Ecstasy-fueled club-pop coming out of Manchester. In short, it's danceable, and since when could you say that about a Cocteaus confection? A sublime cover of late Beach Boy Dennis Wilson's "Fallin' in Love" and the gossamer "God's Gift" further emphasize Lush's evolving pop instincts, but "Monochrome" is the proverbial step back, at best suggesting something retrieved from the Cocteaus' cutting-room floor.