Soft Bomb

. If ever there was buried treasure, a hidden gem, lurking on The Chills' Martin Phillipps' shelf of good things, then 1992's 'Soft Bomb' is it. Back on vinyl for the first time in almost 3 decades, the potency, poetry and passion of this album is lovingly repackaged by Fire Records. After the band's major label debut two years earlier, 'Submarine Bells' (Slash/Warner Brothers), and it's critical acclaim, the band dissolved leaving Phillips to follow it up alone. The album is a roller coaster 17-song, 51 minute trip, a conceptual classic that embraces styles and genres and drops one-liners of personal experience, grandiose longing and some beautifully observed moments, a record that inevitably split opinions as it moved away from 'Submarine Bells' successful sound and arrived amid turbulent times. "'Soft Bomb' was The Chills' finest hour," claimed Perfect Sound Forever a few years back, "For the recording, Phillipps took advantageSide A A1 The Male Monster From The Id A2 Background Affair A3 Ocean Ocean A4 Soft Bomb A5 There Is No Harm In Trying A6 Strange Case A7 Soft Bomb II A8 So Long A9 Song For Randy Newman Etc. Side B B1 Sleeping Giants B2 Double Summer B3 Sanctuary B4 Halo Fading B5 There Is No Point In Trying B6 Entertainer B7 Water Wolves B8 Soft Bomb III