First time on vinyl!
Strange Boutique rose out of the ashes of the Washington DC punk scene. Singer Monica Richards (who later formed the legendary goth band, Faith and the Muse), drummer Danny Ingram and guitarist Fred "Freak" Smith were looking to spread their wings beyond the harDCcore scene they had helped nurture as members of original DC punk bands: Madhouse, Youth Brigade and Beefeater. After finding bassist Steve Willett, the group quickly developed a sound that surged with the energy of the DC post-punk scene while embracing an unexpected sense of melody.
After Ingram left the group, drummer Rand Blackwell joined the band and was quickly nicknamed the "human drum machine". With Fred "Freak" Smith and Steve Willett at the helm, Strange Boutique began to expand their sonic horizons with a harder melodic edge. In November 1992, Strange Boutique began recording their 2nd album, Charm. Released in February 1993 on their own Bedazzled Records, this album finds the band in their most classic style - with songs like "Unsettling", "Happy Birthday, Wanda June" and "Hills Like White Elephants" as fan favorites.
The group toured up and down the East Coast regularly. In March of ’93, the group went West for a double-bill tour of California with the immortal This Ascension, and a tour finale at San Francisco's House of Usher with Switchblade Symphony. Though quite unknown on the West Coast, Strange Boutique charmed their audiences, and returned home with a growing national fanbase.
"The Charm album comes closest to capturing Strange Boutique's live sound. Lots of layered, textural guitar and lovely vocals over the melodic bass lines and driving percussion. Nothing less than mesmerizing." - AS IF, 1993
Tracklist
Side A:
1. Ears To The Ground
2. Happy Birthday Wanda June
3. Hills Like White Elephants
4. Alekan Girl
5. Solar Friend
Side B:
1. Unsettling
2. In A Heaven
3. Glaciers Down
4. Keep Them Still
