Detroit is not known for many shoegaze groups, but Majesty Crush is a 90s group that leapfrogged over the ‘where are they now’ file and made a mark. Granted, it seemed like they were always on the periphery of stardom, and they certainly toured with some big names and had alternative radio airplay, but they never were in the mainstream. The band consisted of frontman/vocalist David Stroughter, guitarist Mike Segal, bassist Hobey Echlin and drummer Odell Nails. The lyrical content was dicey, given its focus on pornography and stalking. But Segal’s shimmering guitar and a solid punch from the rhythm section of Echlin and Nails elevated their tunes to the wall of noise associated with The Verve.
The set starts off with ‘Boyfriend’, a song about the boyfriend of a woman who catches Stroughter’s fancy. He imagines all sorts of harm coming to the boyfriend, such as “We’ll clutch him by the gills, We’ll cut his head then his tail, Feed his head to the seals, And his tail to the whales”. Harsh! The shining riffs of ‘Uma’ follows, easily one of the best songs here. The lyrics are innocuous, and the joyful noisefest reveals the power of these guys. ‘No. 1 Fan’ was one of the band’s biggest hits, and is a creepy stalker tale. Lyrics like “I sent you a letter a day, I found out the places you were staying, Fake names never got in my way”. Umm, OK, that weirds me out, especially as the song moves along. ‘Brand’ is a haze of drugs and alcohol with somewhat sprightly music. ‘Seles’ has a magnificent melodic line that reminds me a lot of The Verve’s louder moments on A Storm in Heaven.’Grow’ also slays with beautiful waves of noise surrounding Stroughter’s voice. He almost emotes like Bono! ‘Penny For Love’ wins on the strength of its melody, hovering closer to British indie pop than shoegaze.
‘Worri’ has kickass guitar, and that will surely raise the roof, provided you play it loud! ‘Sunny PIe’ backs down on the sonics a bit, but the sex-obsessed lyrics come out to play again. The cool ‘Seine’ echoes Richard Ashcroft, and is once again about a girl, but it restrains Stroughter’s darker tendencies. ‘Ghost of Fun’ shuts this party down, and it’s a strange beast. It starts off with psych noodling but finally morphs into the band’s natural penchant for glorious noise. This collection brings it all together for what remains of the group (Strroughter is deceased), and works as an historical perspective of a talented group that teetered on the edge of stardom. Well worth a listen or ten!
