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Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic Harriet Wheeler wants you to put your head close to the stereo speakers so you can feel the warmth of her quiet English voice. Then she wants you to stand across the room to hear the echo of her magnificent wail. She wants you to spelunk through her soul and surf along her emotions.With the help of her outstanding band, the Sundays, she pulls you into her world of British melodrama and leaves you with one of this decade's most beautifully perfect albums. Even just a lone listen to Reading, Writing and Arithmetic’s first single “Here’s Where the Story Ends,” illustrates Wheeler's incredible dynamic. Her innocent tone, guilty conscience and oddly alluring sad thoughts instantly capture the listener.“The only thing I really ever wanted say was wrong, was wrong, was wrong,” she says at one point. “So I cynically, cynically say, the world is that way. Surprise, surprise, surprise, surprise, surprise.” The singing begs for attention. Wheeler's accent and unique phrasing makes it hard to make out the exact words, but no translation is really necessary. Be it the proud proclamations of "I Kicked a Boy," the triumphant cries of "Can't Be Sure" or the lovely, haunting shrieks of "A Certain Someone," her meaning resonates in the listener's mind long after the tracks end. Behind her stand the rest of the Sundays, an outstanding and highly underrated group of musicians that are able to provide a light, ethereal presence behind Wheeler's voice. Patrick Hannan's calculated drums, the slight pluckings of guitarist David Gavurin and Paul Brindley's unnoticable bass form a cohesive, unique amalgam: It's a frail sound that vaguely resembles the rhythmic economy and precision of the Police crossed with the affection of the Cure's more upbeat work. A close examination of the songwriting on Reading, Writing and Arithmetic reveals a labyrinth of carefully crafted compositions. In the simple build-up to the thundering close of "Can't Be Sure," or in the furtive bass-guided movements of "Joy," the Sundays never seem to let the list eners know how hard they are working.Further examination will only bring deeper respect. Reading, Writing and Arithmetic is an album of rare distinction, in the sense that it only gets better with each listen. A masterpiece, by any standard.
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"The Sundays'
gorgeous debut album is the soundtrack for lovesick souls everywhere." Jonathan Cohen
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