Catherine Wheel - Ferment

One of the finest albums to arise out of the shoegazing trend coating the early 1990s, Ferment is rich, lush, and wrenching. For what it's worth, Catherine Wheel get a mention in the liner notes of the Smashing Pumpkins' Siamese Dream. Perhaps it's indicative of the fact that this album rocks a little harder than the genre-defining releases from the likes of the Stone Roses, the Charlatans, and the Inspiral Carpets. Ferment includes guitar solos, albeit tasteful guitar solos, that most of Catherine Wheel's contemporaries would have balked at. Later releases abandon the ethereal noise wash, leaning a little more toward the sound of their admirers the Pumpkins. A beautiful, spiraling release, Ferment is pliable but impenetrable. --Beth Bessmer Amazon.com

Deep Feeling Album

If you have ever had a deep sensual feeling you can't go wrong with this album. This dude singing reaches deep and paints it out for us to emote with him. If you never could express certain feelings then you can get help with this band. This album is an essential sensual rocking shoegazing bonanza. November 7, 2007

Catherine Wheel: Ferment

This is an awesome CD and an awesome band. The 90's were definitely the decade where I became musically aware, and most of my favorite bands are from that decade, but somehow I never heard - or even heard of - Catherine Wheel until 2007. Man, I was missing out. I actually fell in love with them via "Crank," a song from CW's second album, Chrome...but by now, I like Ferment even better than Chrome.

If you have always wished that Radiohead would make a sequel to The Bends, then check out Catherine Wheel. And after going through Catherine Wheel's catalog, you might check out The Autumns for a current band that makes this (EXACT!) kind of music. Also, obviously, get The Bends if you don't have it yet. Enjoy. March 31, 2007

sunlight bleaches you

A very impressive debut album from a band that will help shape and shift the landscape of the British underground. Compared to other Catherine Wheel albums, Ferment is very raw in it's production and is the main reason that they were lumped into the shoegazer category. Beautiful pop melodies that are twisted around a vaccuum of distorted fuzz to create a powerful collection of tunes. Catherine Wheel has always had the ability to make you weep with their frailty and then rip your face like an emotional juggernaut. It all starts with Ferment. Rob Dickinson begins to develop his signature breathy vocals. His voice truly is another instrument. Brian Futter drops bombs of ambient distortion. Neils Simms and Dave Hawes anchor the songs so that they don't sail 10,000 miles over the moon. Over time, Catherine Wheel would develop and refine their sound even more but this is the album that started it all. Outstanding. March 8, 2007

A great album to sum up the Manchester scene in the early 90's

Anyone who knows the early sounds of the 90's would hear every trick in this outstanding album produced by Catherine Wheel. A great example of the 'Manchester scene' that captures those distinctive wayward guitar rifts and catchy melodies, a must for anyone who wants to bring those days back to life.
January 15, 2007

The best single second of alt-rock ever recorded

...is the one in which those four sixthteenth-note snare hits rocket us out of the moody interlude of "Black Metallic" at the 6:03 mark and back into that impeccible guitar-drenched finale. You want catharsis? This is catharsis.

The rest of the album isn't exactly bad either. December 11, 2006

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