Life Review (1993-2003)

The Shadow Ring formed in the seaside town of Folkestone, England in 1993. Over the course of a decade, and through eight LPs, Graham Lambkin, Darren Harris and later Tim Goss scraped out a unique musical pathway for themselves, armed with only the barest of tools. With each release the Shadow Ring presented themselves as a group in constant flux. Naive acoustic improvisations, dour bedroom sci-fi epics, cryptic D.I.Y. theatre and glacial electronic soundscapes all became fair game in their hands. The group recorded for some of the premier underground labels of the era: Siltbreeze, Corpus Hermeticum, Swill Radio and their own Dry Leaf Discs were all at one time or another called home. The Shadow Ring were also champions of the absurd -- never playing live in their home country, they instead performed 23 shows across the US between 1995-97. The life of the Shadow Ring finally came to pass on the banks of the Hudson River in 2003. Life Review offers a celebration of the Shadow Ring's oeuvre -- from the green chaos of 1993's Don't Open the Window 7" on through to the austerity of 2003's I'm Some Songs LP. Featuring material from each of their albums: City Lights, Put The Music In Its Coffin, Wax-Work Echoes, Live In U.S.A., Hold Onto I.D., Lighthouse, Lindus and I'm Some Songs, alongside 7" A and B sides, comp appearances, and a clutch of previously unreleased live and 'studio' work, Life Review is an anthology that will serve both the aged fan, and the curious newcomer. Expertly mastered by long-time enthusiast Bhob Rainey, Life Review flushes out the rich sonic detail of the Shadow Ring's music like never before. Housed in a deluxe six-panel digipak, with an accompanying 16 page color booklet of photos, flyers, sleeve art etc, Life Review also offers an untainted visual history of the group. With 34 tracks -- personally chosen by Graham Lambkin, and a running time of 154 minutes, Life Review offers the perfect chance to say a final farewell. One more time.