MOG Editorial Review

When The Raincoats formed, they embodied the punk D.I.Y. spirit in that they formed a band and then learned how to play. Therefore, their self-titled debut, released in 1979, has a scrappy and catastrophic air to it. Rather than let that hold them back, it defined their sound. The band's folk and reggae influences made them more complex than other punk bands. The folk leanings heard in album opener “Fairytale in the Supermarket” are certainly nothing that the Sex Pistols ever dared to try. Nor did they ever cover the Kinks, as The Raincoats so successfully do here on an inspired take of “Lola.” The wayward style of The Raincoats, from off-key singing to jumbled instrumentation, helped steer punk into more distinct directions, making their debut a much-loved classic.