Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine - 1992: The Love Album (Deluxe Version) (2022)

What turned out to be Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine's shortest album, at a mere 36 minutes, was also its most commercially successful, debuting in the U.K. at number one and confirming the band as a massive draw. Unfortunately for the duo, things would never be quite the same again, with subsequent releases first lost in the post-grunge fallout and then more radically in the major zeitgeist shift to Britpop. With 1992, though, their shouldn't-succeed-but-still-does combination of synthesizer/rock fanfares opening instrumental "1993" is particularly brilliant at this, playing up the sense of artificial bombast the rest of the album relentlessly critiques pun-heavy but still empathetic lyrics and tunefulness works perfectly. The European Union flag providing the cover and title refers to the then-groundbreaking fusion of governments and policies in the continent, but Carter's appropriately sharp dedication "to our friends in 'Yugoslavia'," as that conflict spiralled out of control shows where the album's questioning mindset was aimed. While lead single "The Only Living Boy in New Cross" was a bit anthemic-Carter-by-numbers, the brilliant, Spinal Tap-sampling pop roar of "Do Re Me, So Far So Good" and a closing cover of the Man of La Mancha standard "The Impossible Dream" both were deserved standouts. Equally cutting and affecting tracks cropped up throughout "England" is a brilliant example, portraying a totally gutted country through the eyes of someone on the losing end of things. Accompanied by traditional, folky instrumentation, it's a calm but pointed vivisection of a place practically not worth it anymore. Perhaps the sleeper cut is "While You Were Out," which underneath all the references to being burned as a witch for playing punk rock or the like is a heartfelt call from one person to another, just to get back in touch.