Sloper

The disappearance of An Emotional Fish was one of the great disappointments of the '90s. Their stunning debut was disliked by the critics but adored by the band's fans. Junk Puppets (1993) was somewhat of a disappointment, as the band took a detour into glam rock and away from the Doors-like dream rock of their debut. Sloper was somewhat of a return to the form of 1992's self-titled album, melodic and haunting. Professionally, it was too little too late; the U.S. release of the album was two years after it hit in the U.K. Standout tracks include "Aeroplanes," with a beautiful slide guitar and Kate Bush-like backing vocals. The U.K. version of Sloper was released in 1994 and includes two tracks unavailable on the U.S. version: "Leoncavallo" and "It Belongs to the World." The U.S. version has a song not on the U.K. release, "Strange Things." The difference in tracks is likely to get American fans to buy an album they may already have on import. However, the import might be the favorite version of Sloper. Overall, the album should be more popular with An Emotional Fish devotees than Junk Puppets. Worth searching for.