Originally released in 1991 by Slash Records. Slash records signed the Verlaines, another long-running New Zealand pop band. But where the Chills produced arguably their finest record ever for Slash the first time out, the Verlaines didn’t quite deliver on the promise of their years of indie releases with 1991’s “Ready to Fly”. On previous albums like “Some Disenchanted Evening” and the singles compilation “Juvenilia”, leader Graeme Downes blended a propulsive, brooding form of Kiwi guitar pop with some considerably more sophisticated elements, including perfectly realized string, woodwind, and brass sections. (Downes has a doctorate in music; the first Verlaines album had been recorded as part of a school project, in fact.)
The album was recorded in Sydney, Australia, It was credited that “it’s reminiscent of the Beatles without being a Beatles ripoff, and many of the songs could be show music without losing any of their pop-rock atmosphere.” The songs off “Ready to Fly” prove the Verlaines have the power trio thing down, but it’s still too concerned with tasteful rather than tasty, at its busiest and most dense, the album is still about guitars (electric and acoustic), melody with a killer hook.
On “Ready to Fly”, those two elements of the Verlaines’ music are bifurcated, with only three songs featuring the typical orchestrations, this time almost entirely by themselves, and the other nine songs being unadorned, straightforward guitar pop. This division makes little sense, but aside from that caveat, the songs on “Ready to Fly” are a uniformly strong lot, with the opening “Gloom Junky” an appropriately downcast opener for a less-than-upbeat selection of tunes.
From the original demos for the album “Ready To Fly” released May 1, 2025
The Fat Angel Sings 