1986-1989

Autumnfair was the shortlived side project of Savage Republic bassist Thom Fuhrmann and British transplant Val Haller. So shortlived, in fact, that by the time their first record was released on IPR in 1991, they had been broken up for two years. In spite of the personnel connection with Savage Republic, Autumnfair never really shared SR's aesthetic for nomadic punk and junk-yard percussion, instead bathing their sound with the bleak, post-punk atmospheres of Joy Division and Wire. Autumnfair has an expansive and dramatic "Factory Records/4AD" sound. The project mixes drum machines, live drums, multiple basses, reverberant soaring guitars and powerful, dramatic vocals. These beautiful songs are haunting, evocative and chilling. Yet, Autumnfair did maintain some of the Savage Republic industrial grit with their dirgy flanged basslines and occasionally dissonant slabs of guitar noise, amidst ethereal synthetic tones. "1986-1989" is fairly comprehensive collection of Autumnfair's recorded output, featuring remastered versions of the tracks from their posthumous vinyl-only release"Glaciers and Gods", along with a couple of tracks that veer more into the LA goth / darkwave sound due to Caroline Topalian's floating vocal theatrics. A welcome trawl through the archives of days long since past. Also features Greg Grunke from Savage Republic on one track.