Angel Corpus Christi ‎– White Courtesy Phone CD

Ascending to a mainstream label in 1995, Corpus Christi rared back and popped out the year’s best new wave album. Surrounding her carbon-dated canned vocal presence with diverse synth-draped arrangements that manage to sound simultaneously complex and rinkydink, Angel croons the elementary melodies of supremely ingenious hook-filled songs that bounce and bop in an echo of early-’80s dance-club pogo fare by Toni Basil, Lene Lovich, Martha and the Muffins, Algebra Suicide, Hilary, etc. Adopting a stance of mildly bemused enthusiasm, she sings offhand lyrics about the crumbling state of the world (“Big Black Cloud,” “Nature Girl”), her own shortcomings (“Lazy,” “Threw It Away”), sex (“Dim the Lights,” “Candy”) and a presumptuous lover (“Been There Done That”). The anachronistic derivation would be just a gimmick if the tuneful songs weren’t so great. But with an album as confidently, instantly lovable as White Courtesy Phone, it doesn’t matter where she’s calling from. Fine-tuning what Angel had already outlined on The 80’s (there’s even a remake of “John Cassavetes”), Craig Leon produced and played all the keyboards; the guest trumpeter on “Lazy” is none other than Almo’s own Herb Alpert.

Label: Almo Sounds

Country: Canada

Media Condition: Very Good Plus (VG+)
Sleeve Condition: Near Mint (NM or M-)

CD has a superficial mark but plays fine