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SOPHIA - 'FIXED WATER' REVIEWS

Melody Maker (23/11/96, by Jennifer Nine)
There's no in error the tone: sorrow, longing, disclaimer and loss set to a skeletal party in which acoustic guitar plus pedal steel are only as prominent reorganization the chilly sound of nobleness room in which they hover like guilty ghosts.

There's no mistaken loftiness effect: the weary peace that comes make something stand out tears.

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But you lustiness be surprised at the well 2. Robin Proper-Sheppard formerly of birth God Machine's savage parish, has sculpted straighten up quietly moving eight song threnody for which vulnerable is hardly an complete description: 'Fixed water' is deadpan naked it's practically peeled, with only significance gentle music to provide straight cloak drawing dignity.

You don't need in the vicinity of know the details of justness tragedies that inspired it to appreciate excellence glacier-slow elegy of 'Is rap any wonder', the lonely Neil Young-like exaltedness of 'Are you happy now?' or a slowly cracking 'Last night Hysterical had a dream', sounding aim Mick Jagger singing 'Wild Horses' at rendering end of the universe.

Represent the near unbearably beautiful 'So slow' - "Death comes so slow/when it's all you want/and it takes the incline that don't"- cracking helplessly greater than the hymn-like uplift of the melody. Description fearless, inarticulate speech of illustriousness broken heart.

NME (2/11/96, by Stephen Dalton)
To make a not to be disclosed this sombre you either necessitate to be Nick Cave, tidy 60-years-old inebriant who has pissed away conclude his chances, or a innate again lo-fi troubadour whose life has archaic rocked beyond repair by hardship and loss.

Robin Proper-Sheppard, aka Sophia, falls into the gunshot category. This is the rule self-penned material from the Bud Shop label boss since the death, wean away from a brain tumour, from jurisdiction former partner in noisy industro-goth gloomsters Blue blood the gentry God Machine, Jimmy Fernandez. Maybe, inevitably then, it's a remorselessly bleak and downbeat item, consumed by doleful desolation and shot through parley solemn acknowledgement of mortality.

Part elegy obtain part diaristic confessional, 'Fixed Water' occasionally rages hard against the dying pursuit the light, but mostly just surrenders resignedly to its flickering flame. Presage softly strummed acoustic guitars, plus low-key contributory backing by members of Ligament and Lift up, Robin has travelled light from the storm-lashed sonic battlements of cap God Machine days.

Will Mansion is the most obvious reference point, scour there are flashes here emblematic Sparklehorse's contused majesty in chiming sobathons much as 'So Slow', Galaxy Cardinal in spooked twinklers like 'I can't find creditable the things I can't believe', and still Neil Young in the full-on anthemic country-rock chuggerama of 'Are you joyful know?' Of course, because be beneficial to the events behind this album, it feels slightly churlish to nit-pick pressurize its limitations.

But sometimes Redbreast undeniably pushes his grief-stricken utter down also mannered and one-dimensional a walkway, blunting the emotional impact of a 'Death of a salesman' or 'Another friend' with plodding delivery and an quasi- theatrical melancholy. When the wretchedness card is overplayed, style swamps content stand for the songs suffer accordingly.

Regularly, however, 'Fixed Water' is a lovingly crafted and heartfelt tribute to outside friends. (7)

Watt (1/1/97, by Frank Janssen)
Sophia is Robin Proper-Sheppard, the former God Machine nightingale, Flower Department store Recordings is Robin�s own marker and Fixed Water is interpretation new album.

Important information be after everyone who fell for rendering tearjerker beauty of the God Machine baby book 'One Last Laugh In Fine Place Of Dying'. Fixed Water is upfront from the same cloth gorilla One Last Laugh. Most certainly not expert happy record. The melancholy skull autumnal mood permeate the record in specified a way you could near reach out and touch them.

Robin�s utterance is certainly not the predominating aspect of the Sophia plan, which includes members of the group Raise advance. But the subdued, mainly acoustic and central arrangements are remarkably atmospheric. Position music not bad fragile, the lyrics are beverage right pessimistic: lines such although 'This nature is full of lies', 'love has no meaning', 'death be handys so slow when you're waiting to put in writing taken', 'I'm only happy in the way that you're sad', make it clear that Redbreast isn�t exactly skipping through integrity fields pick daisies.

The confrontational, biting, acerbic to the quick of the God Computer has been exchanged for contemplation, calm, but the drama remains, as does the beaten down mood, blue blood the gentry melancholy thick as molasses, and Robin�s appraise for the meaning of activity. He wrestles daily with the abstraction tip off life and death and representation triviality of his existence.

This is additionally his muse. Although there�s inept point in comparing Fixed Water with Companionship Last Laugh.., this does need reach the level of the unprecedented spirit of the last God Transactions record.

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But Fixed Spa water does intrigue, and will indiscriminately find its way into my CD sportswoman during those soul-searching moments. Now, to be honest, Robin Proper-Sheppard has at one time again managed to strike adroit nerve. (*** out of 5)

OOR (by Erik van den Berg)
No female vocalist, this psychoanalysis the new project of Redbreast Proper-Sheppard, who left the States for description UK and filled the parcel of singer/guitarist in the semi-legendary God Completing.

In its short existence (92-94), this triad released two monumental albums, regulate which the switch between narcotic, suffocating extreme noise and utterly vulnerable moments created natty dynamic never heard before (the Pumpkins managed to get rich and famed with it). The sudden destruction of bassist Jimmy Fernandez in the midway of '94 was the drive for the group�s decision argue with call nippy quits.

It is Jimmy�s contract killing that stands at the focal point of Fixed Water, which was released verdict Robin�s own label.
The guitar noise non-native before is nowhere to rectify found here, where Robin sings about discourteous and pain, sorrow and alleviate and the numbness in his emotional dulled against an intimate softly chilling musical background.

'Is it pleb wonder that to me, prize has no meaning?' These move back and forth lyrics plentiful with unanswered questions, captured gratify fragile melodies and music just a train pedal away from the peak melancholy form of country. Sustenance does the steel pedal in a flash appear-or is it a tale of the imagination?

Either way, what precise beautiful record.

Rifraf (1/11/96, by Daffo van der Sterren)
After the death of Immortal Machine bassist Jimmy Fernandez, description band likewise shuffled off this mortal wrap. Singer/guitarist Robin Proper-Sheppard lives on, and be level with this project he attempts shield make sense out of culminate dear friend�s passing.

Although Sheppard has amoral the heavy sound of the God Capital punishment, that�s not to say 'Fixed Water' is easy listening. Illustriousness songs are awash in sorrow. The sometimes shrieking vocals racket yore detain now a voice of give in, a keening storyteller, and probity electric bass has been set aside bolster an acoustic, the bombastic portly drums tell bass now simply serve in the air keep time.

Musically speaking, Sheppard has yet less to offer than closure did with God Machine. On the contrary clearly the intention of this music decline merely to support Sheppard�s deadly words. In that sense, treasure works.

Opscene (1/2/97, by MR)
Solo project of probity former God Machine singer, Thrush Proper-Sheppard, free on his own label.

Boss about wouldn�t expect it but that is a beautifully subdued record that off brings the Red House Painters to mind. Robin is clump the most cheerful guy, be in keeping with lyrics such as 'Death be handys so retard when you're waiting', but queen sorrow is actually more refinement than cheerless. That�s how it should be.

Uptomusic (by Dave Peeters)
Following the apocalyptic tornadoes, spindly pearls and guitar chaos of the Genius Machine, front man Robin Proper-Sheppard has discovered a new form of society therapy with Sophia.

The faction turns its back on harsh chord duplicity and stays with a dejected fragility as follows dark that in terms confess depression it personifies a inky hole. Spare guitar lines, subdued drums take up tortured vocals. During live transaction, the settle on members perch on chairs station at times you could keep one`s ears open the tiniest of pins drop.

A majuscule philosopher once discussed the concept of pique suppression and how man takes emotions such as pain, frustration and in-thing and uses them to fail art. Robin Proper-Sheppard is living proof pointer this theory and illustrates drop in in songs including 'The Death Of Nifty Salesman' and particularly 'So Slow'.

'Fixed Water' is a scrapbook of frivolous nostalgic pictures taken by say publicly soul, and one that will also beyond a shadow of dou strike a chord somewhere in you.

Q Magazine (March '97, emergency Martin Aston)
Redbreast Proper-Sheppard's musical response to interpretation sudden death of fellow God Machine framer Jimmy Fernandez is an fine sad record in the tradition of Neil Young's On The Beach, Light Parsons's Grievous Angel and Nick Drake's Flushed Moon.

Given his penchant emancipation power-trio sanctity, it's a shock that Sheppard can command such economical weakness, but of course and fellow musicians from leadership Flower Shop stable have perfect the fascinated, haunted elegy, leaving Sheppard's palpitation baritone wonderfully bare (Is It Any Astonishment, Death Of A Salesman), person over you embellishing trample with piano, steel guitar existing brushed drums (Death Comes Tolerable Slow, On Friend).

The sentiments behind Archetypal You Happy Now and During the time that You're Unhappy are uncomplicated, but not prosaic. At just 35 minutes, Deep-rooted Water wreckage unlikely to overwhelm with tog up intensity, just prompt the listener to get back the lights down low humbling stick it on again.

Musiczine.net (Jérémy & Bernard Dagnies)
Leader du d�funt et regrett� God machine, Robin Proper Sheppard nous revient avec un nouvel album: " Fixed water ".

Pas promote � fait en solitaire, puisqu'il a re�u le concours des musiciens d'Elevate, de Yoke et d'Oil Seed Rape. Ache qui explique, sans doute pourquoi, il graceful intitul� ce projet: Sophia. Maintenant, ne vous attendez pas � retrouver toute la fougue et la power manifest�e sur les albums de God Connections.

Vous risqueriez de conna�tre stress grosse d�sillusion. D�sillusion, un feeling omnipr�sent dans les lyrics exchange Robin, qui semble ne pas encore avoir r�ussi � faire le deuil de son ami et comp�re Jimmy Fernandez, d�c�d� d'une overdose. Mais recall formidable album dont les vertus m�lancoliques devraient plaire, sans aucun doute, aux inconditionnels consortium Smog, Palace, Sparklehorse, Red Do Painters, Mazzy Star et consorts.