Album Notes

The very rare Japanese pressing of Pray TV's debut album 'Flux' from 1991. The Japanese version was released on 1+2 records / Barnhomes and featured completely different artwork and 6 bonus tracks including their first 7" single In My Street originally released on Mr Spaceman Records.

Pray TV, from Melbourne Australia, released many albums and single from 1988 to 1997. They received their moment in the spotlight in 1993 when in the infamous post-Nirvana signing frenzy of the early 90’s, they were snapped up by Radioactive Records in the USA (home of Live, Shirley Manson, The Ramones, etc) and released the Aftermath EP. The band had albums produced by Ed Kuepper (Aussie legend from the Saints) and Andy MacPherson (Teenage Fanclub, Frank Black) with releases in USA, Japan, Germany and Spain. Pigeonholed as indie rock–pop along the lines of Joy Divison, Psychedelic Furs, My Bloody valentine and the like, the band played gigs with Smashing pumpkins, Live, A House, Ed Kuepper, Midway Still, Bailter Space, Jean Paul Satre Experience, The Bats and many more.

Reviews:

PRAY TV
Spent/She Fell (Augogo)
Strapped to a post-Joy Division bass moan, guitars several kilometers thick chime and swell while drums crash like an epileptic juggler. Its a mind ride to infinity. One of the best singles of the year - Stephen Walker, Juke Magazine

PRAY TV
Cold Dog Stew/A Lone Stiff/Still Searching/Sounds Of Silence (Shock)
I've raved enough about "Stew" elsewhere in this issue, suffice to say it's probably their best yet; a great track. "A Lone Stiff", which the band said was written as a joke response to a review I wrote of one of their previous records, is too atmospheric for my tastes. "Searching" is mostly just guitar and vocals...sounds like a bit of a throwaway, and "Silence" is the Simon and Garfunkel song. It starts quietly enough and gets more rocking as it goes on with drums and bass joining halfway through. Rough and cheap production doesn't do it favors, but it's OK.
- Noise For Heroes Magazine

PRAY TV
Spent/She Fell (Augogo)
Aussies who don't play like Aussies are supposed to...on the A side this lot are closer to something like the Vanilla Chainsaws with their thick walls of fuzzy guitar and morose vocals. Lots of atmosphere and pretty cool stuff at that. The vocals are mixed way down with the guitars so that you have to work to dig the words out, making it less accessible and more resilient for multiple plays. The flip is an even better track...it sounds much like an early Chills rocker. Each record from these guys seems to get better...that's a good sign. (There is also a Pray TV track on a compilation single.)
- Noise For Heroes Magazine