3Ds, The Venus Trail (side A)

A weird soft spot in my taste. It's fairly lo-fi and midrange-y. The melodies are understated and not overtly catchy. The playing is precise but doesn't much stand out, and the drummer may be the weakest musician in the band. This doesn't sound like a formula for repeated listens, and The Venus Trail (1993) didn't initially grab me (I was also not impressed by the 3Ds when I saw them at this time, a fact which saddens me to this day). Everything, though, is somehow just right, and I've become a fan of The Venus Trail. The mixes are particularly just-right and sit nicely, and the vocal takes, while understated, really come through. The printed inner sleeve is a nice touch too.