Blindfold

AMG Review of Blindfold

Ned Raggett
All Music Guide

Curve's initial statement of purpose was a brutal enough sonic bomb in its own right to get American attention (and even airplay) without an official Stateside release -- not the easiest of tasks. The break came thanks to the lead track, "Ten Little Girls," which pretty much set the tone for most Curve releases for the next two years, Dean Garcia's overwhelming combination of snarling feedback wash, and Toni Halliday's cool, just-dismissive-enough vocals and lyrics working in concert. The guest ap from JC001 is initially a bit odd, but fits the heavy beatbox-flow well in the end. The remaining three tracks essentially revamp the initial formula one way or another, but without being too much a rehash, as things go. "No Escape From Heaven" is a keeper thanks to a great main riff and a just-catchy-enough chorus. If nothing else, Blindfold shows that the group's identification with shoegazing was tenuous at best -- nobody outside of My Bloody Valentine itself was at once this confrontational and dance-friendly.