4AD's second (and, to date, last) mail-order-only release - The Hope Blister's Underarms (4ADM2) - was Ivo's instrumental companion piece to ...smile's ok. Created during the ...smile's ok sessions, Underarms was a set of ultra-minimalist drone-scapes with a vast, cavernous sound and an austere beauty.
Gus Gus made their return with "Ladyshave", a quirky, catchy pop classic (BAD 9001, BADD 9001). Their much-anticipated second album This Is Normal (CAD 9006) delivered a dizzy cocktail of sometimes danceable, sometimes dreamlike songs. Further singles included the electro-funky "Starlovers" (BAD 9004, BADD 9004) and the mutant house groove of "VIP" (BAD 9017, BADD 9017).
Warren Defever summed up the first seven years of His Name Is Alive with the release of Always Stay Sweet (CAD 9002), a 21-track greatest-hits-album-from-a-parallel-universe that served as a perfect point-of-entry for those still uninitiated into the band's unique soundworld. For the benefit of the already-addicted, the previously unreleased "Underwater" was also included.
Cuba began the year with another single "Black Island / White Shadow" (BAD 9003), before finally making their album debut with Leap Of Faith (CAD 9014), a full-blooded showcase for the their post-Primal Scream, post-big beat brand of widescreen sound which featured guest vocals from Shara Nelson, Mojave 3's Rachel Goswell and rapper Mau. A revised, post-album single of "Black Island" (BAD 9016) added a remix by Groove Armada.
The Birthday Party's Live 1981-82 (CAD 9005) was, quite literally, a blast from the past. Assembled from shows in recorded in London, Bremen and Athens, it's an unflinching document of the unstoppable juggernaut that Nick Cave, Mick Harvey, Rowland S. Howard, Tracy Pew and Phill Calvert were able to summon onstage. Included were three of the four songs from the long out-of-print Drunk On The Pope's Blood EP, as well as a climactic rendition of the Stooges' "Funhouse", with a guest appearance from Jim "Foetus" Thirlwell on saxophone.
After the acoustic splendor of her three previous solo records, Kristin Hersh's Sky Motel (CAD 9008) was her first set of electric music since Throwing Muses recorded Limbo. Recorded in New Orleans (at the same studio where the Muses had made University) with producer Trina Shoemaker (Sheryl Crow), Kristin played practically everything on the record herself. The single "Echo" (BAD 9007) featured covers of songs by Nirvana and the Beatles as b-sides.
Former Throwing Muse David Narcizo - one of the most original rock drummers of recent decades - made his solo debut under the name Lakuna. Castle Of Crime (GAD 9010) was a kaleidoscopic album built from a colourful array of samples and loops, all pinned together by Narcizo's forceful, inventive rhythms. It was accompanied by two limited edition 12-inch singles featuring mixes of "So Happy"(TAD 9009) and "Lemongrass/The Very Next Day" (TAD 9018).
Red House Painters' Retrospective (DAD 9011) - a two-CD anthology - offered an extensive summary of the band's time on 4AD. Disc 1 - compiled and sequenced by Ivo - gathered together 13 of the finest songs from their back catalogue, while Disc 2 added a selection of unreleased demos, outtakes, radio performaces and live tracks, and included two previously unheard compositions.
Following the breakup of Dead Can Dance, Brendan Perry finally delivered the solo album he'd been promising since his astonishing live performance at London's ICA back in 1993. Eye Of The Hunter (CAD 9015) proved more than equal to expectations. An album of sweeping drama and private emotion reminiscent of visionary loners like Tim Buckley and Scott Walker, its eight tracks glided on layers of quiet instrumentation, propelled by Perry's immense vocal presence. It was utterly timeless music.