If you were a Britophile living in North America in the 90's, the story was a familiar one. Once they'd had some success in the UK, the debate surrounding your new favourite band was always "will they break through in America"? A couple of years later, when they were on their third album and fourth European tour, the debate parameters almost invariably shifted. Stateside success was now considered a longshot at best, and the debate question became defeatist -- "why can't they break through in America"?
When it came down to it, nobody had the answers to these questions. Manchester bands were all the rage in the late 80's and early 90's, but outside of select college and alternative stations, their music wasn't heard on North American radio. A few years later, Britpop reached its peak but the music didn't translate for American audiences. Eventually, Oasis did sell four million copies of "What's the Story Morning Glory" in the US and Blur sold more than 600K of their self titled album. Oasis were presented as a Beatles retread (hardly a product of the 90's) and Blur mainly sold grunge back to the country of its creation (nothing British about it at all). The stuff that broke big was rarely what you would have expected or predicted.
There were some fallow years for British indie music between those two mini-eras. Jesus Jones were considered hopelessly uncool and not worth hyping in Britain. But in the US? "Right Here Right Now" was a major smash, the definitive fall of communism anthem, and reached #2 on the Billboard 100 (kept out of the top spot by Bryan Adams' never-ending run with "(Everything I Do) I Do It For You"). In contrast, it didn't come close to the top 10 in Britain or any European country. Their album "Doubt" also went platinum in Canada and the US.
Even more inexplicable was the success of EMF. The uncoolest copycats to emerge from Madchesters' ashes released "Unbelievable" and somehow ended up with a #1 single on the Billboard 100 in July 1991. The song was a worldwide hit, reaching the top ten in many European countries, but only reached #1 in the US. A little bit of context: this was pre-Nirvana when most people under the age of 20 had little clue about "alternative" music, let alone alternative/dance/baggy groups from the UK. However, C&C Music Factory's "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)" went to #1 that year too, surprising many by crossing over from underground dance clubs to the pop charts. Londonbeat's "I've Been Thinking About You" also hit the top spot that year, as did PM Dawn's "Set Adrift on Memory Bliss". So pop/house crossovers had a good year on the Billboard 100 in 1991. Still, who could have possibly guessed that a band of miscreants from the Forest of Dean (where??) would soundtrack the American summer with a number one hit sandwiched between the biggest career successes of Paula Abdul and Bryan Adams?
I haven't heard the album "Schubert Dip" since around 1993, around the time that Britpop took off. Even when it was released, it felt like an album very much of its time. By 1993, EMF were practically a relic from ancient times. But it's been nearly thirty years and the band have reunited three times, so the music remains somewhat timeless at least for some people.
"Children", the opener, fits that description in spades. Featuring the oft-used Madchester shuffle beat, acid-y squelches, and a shouty, energetic chorus, it's hard to conceptualize a more 1991-sounding song than this. But it remains a chest-thumping triumph, and probably should have been an anthem. "Long Summer Days" and "When You're Mine" are perfectly passable album track fodder that keep the energy level simmering along nicely.
Then things take a turn towards the ridiculous with what was supposed to be a love song, "Travelling Not Running". The laid back vibe actually ressembles the polished dance pop that New Order would overuse on "Republic" two years later. The effortless, acerbic charm that characterizes even the worst New Order songs is nowhere to be found though, the song has no reason to exist other than to show a more serious, sensitive side to the band. The lyrics are sub-sub-Sumner-ian at best. The chorus begins: "I could have been, anything for you/I could have been old/I could have been blue." Read all the lyrics for yourself, nearly every line is a howler. The next track, "I Believe", is a Madchester paint-by-numbers song that fills out the first side of the album and nothing more.
The next two seconds of music you'll hear are a giant wake-up call -- the half-shouted, half-moaned "OHH", clanging cowbell, gurgling bass, and squealing guitar are the intro to their deservedly huge hit single. Four ideas that could have clashed horribly but somehow fit perfectly. The "Paid In Full" beat, the awkward rap, the Andrew Dice Clay samples, the false endings -- all could have come off as silly cliches, but never do. "Unbelievable" is the sound of a naive band piling all their best ideas into one song and hitting a home run with their eyes closed.
"Girl Of An Age" is the downtempo teen angst-y track that "Travelling Not Running" tried to be. You won't find anything profound in EMF's lyrics, but this is a uncomplicated near-ballad that is an effective comedown after "Unbelievable"'s euphoria. The rest of the album, "Admit It", "Lies", and "Longtime" are mostly padding. You could call "Schubert Dip" the proverbial great EP stretched out into an album. EMF obviously knew what kind of band they wanted to be with this album, but they clearly didn't have enough great songs to actually fill an album.
So overall, "Schubert Dip" in 2021 was exactly what I expected -- a perfectly listenable and completely of its time album. Their ambition still shines through nearly thirty years later, even if the execution couldn't come close to match. Before 90's music became dour, before emo, before grunge, EMF were all about dancing and fun and you still enjoy that in quick doses even today.
