That Petrol Emotion - Manic Pop Thrill

After the demise of the Undertones, their vocalist Feargal Sharkey embarked on a solo career and the O'neill's formed That Petrol Emotion. At first, I don't know what to think of this record, because I was hoping it would like the Undertones but its not. In fact, it kind of launched the music Madchester bands became famous for.

"That Petrol Emotion's scintillating debut reminds everyone, first and foremost, what an incredible musical alliance the O'Neill brothers can be. Following a succession of independent singles (after all, who wanted to touch a couple of ex-Undertones in the mid-'80s?), they settled on Demon for this inspired debut. "It's a Good Thing," "Mouth Crazy," and "Circusville" are typical of the contents -- relentless pop hooks married to surging guitar chords, underpinned by hints of swamp blues and nods to garage rock and other mutant strains of the rock & roll animal. As naked, bold, and impassioned a record as had been heard in years. The title says it all." (AMG)

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That Petrol Emotion - Babble

In my opinion, this is their best album and Manic Pop Thrill came in second. Their songs in all of their releases is an eclectic mix of Brit pop, dance (house ?) music, folk. Plus their highly political lyrics make this album very interesting.

"Following hotly on the heels of 1986's Manic Pop Thrill, That Petrol Emotion's Babble brought more clever madness onto the scene, happily cutting Sean and Damian O'Neill's diversified punk influences with dance music, hook-laden pop, and a streak of acerbic political and social commentary. It certainly wasn't the Undertones. But the wiry, treble-kicking guitars and whooping vocals of "Swamp" made it just as vital, and "Dance Your Ass Off"'s "Party all nights"'s and "Hey! Hey! Hey!"'s weren't so much vapid dancefloor catch phrases as they were righteous calls to action. Despite the hooks that bled from every busted seam, Babble seemed to bask in the glow of a freshly lit car fire. Its walls of guitars, incessant, processed snare kicks, and snarling vocals celebrated the empty calories of pop music, and did so with bared teeth. (Was that a bullet ricocheting off "Split!"'s overdriven rhythm?) At the same time, the album's slower moments were just as accomplished. That Petrol Emotion didn't just set the fires -- they took time to watch them burn. Arriving at a flux point in pop music, Babble became a bridge album between blissfully ignorant dance, radio-ready pop and the remaining sentiment of punk rock. It wasn't just a call-to-arms snapshot at the end of a decade, but a prominent influence on the coming Brit-pop revolution." (AMG)

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