Into Paradise - Blue Light 12''EP / Change 12''EP / Burns My Skin 12''EP / Angel 12''

I’m just going to throw the remaining four 12” singles to the wolves tonight. Everything that can be said about Into Paradise has been, they formed in 1986 in Churchtown, Dublin, they have sensible influences in Joy Division / The Sound, they sizzled live and they rocked (in a shoegaze / post-punk kinda way). What you have here are the first two singles / EP’s released on the indie label Setanta in 1989 and 1990 respectively.  The second two singles / EP's are taken from the album Churchtown both released in '91 give additional tracks not on the LP. The songs of lost love contained within are beautiful and yet full of anguish and desperation. Pretty? No they’re not. Easy listening? No, they’re really not. Essential? Yeah of course they are, that’s why you’re going to download them.

Into Paradise - Churchtown

Into Paradise were a group from Dublin, Ireland whose influences included Joy Division and Echo and the Bunnymen. They formed in 1986 as 'Backwards into Paradise', and released their debut EP 'Blue Light' in 1989 on the independent label Setanta. Soon after came the EP 'Change' and the band's first full-length album, 'Under the Water'. During this period they became notorious for gigs which often ended with fighting between band members.

The group's debut, released in 1990 and produced by ex-Sound frontman Adrian Borland, found Into Paradise (singer/guitarist Dave Long, guitarist/keyboardist James Eadie, bassist Rachel Tighe and drummer Ronan Clarke) owing a heavy debt to the Bunnymen's landmark 1980 LP, Crocodiles. The shame was that a few genuinely good tracks got buried in the band's attempt at homage. However, someone kicked Into Paradise firmly in the collective rear just in time for the release of Churchtown the following year; the group sounded newly-energized, "Churchtown" is just a straight forward rock album. Nothing really fancy with this one however the songs are just incredible. Singer Dave Long spills his heart out over the 12 tracks; "Rain Comes Down" blasts your bloody speakers off the wall. Produced again by Borland, Churchtown showed off a large-scale dramatic sweep, augmented by consistently strong, attractive melodies.

Into Paradise - Into Paradise

Into Paradise was a Dublin-based post-punk/indie band (1986–1993) known for moody, guitar-driven, and melancholic music that often drew comparisons to Echo & the Bunnymen and The Sound. Led by singer/guitarist David Long, they released albums like Under the Water and Churchtown, which are often considered overlooked early-90s gems. Lucky for this brooding, gentle Dublin group, singer/guitarist David Long has one of those spot-on whines that manages to add the sense of emotional fragility — heft even — his clichéd words don’t necessarily deserve. The tunes themselves are a different, and often glorious, story. Produced by Adrian Borland (of the late, great Sound), Under the Water (released in the US as Into Paradise, with a few tracks replaced) is slow-moving, simple, guitar-driven post-punk with faint echoes of Echo and the Bunnymen (a connection made explicit on “Red Light”). Pretty — not to mention pretty depressing — melodies (“The Pleasure Is Over,” “Going Home”) more than compensate for Long’s earnestly dreary and angsty lyrics, which occasionally sink into dreaded fire-and-desire couplets. But the worst offense is the fact that drummer Ronan Clarke’s name is misspelled on the US edition’s booklet. Tough break.

Into Paradise - Under The Water

This rock pop outfit originally from Dublin, Ireland, released their debut single in 1986 as Backwards Into Paradise. By 1988 their name had shortened to Into Paradise, while the line-up had stabilized as Dave Long (vocals, guitar), James Eadie (lead guitar, keyboards), Rachael Tighe (bass) and Ronan Clarke (drums). They gathered very few second glances until the release of their debut album, Under The Water on indie label Setanta early in 1990. A capricious and deceptive album, it secured many plaudits and a predictably enthusiastic response from the media. Being from Dublin, they were automatically and inaccurately compared to both U2 and the Hothouse Flowers. Other writers noted the proliferation of drink-orientated songs, which placed them in a more definite Irish tradition. The follow-up, Churchtown, on their new Ensign Records home, was given an altogether more terse reception. Ultimately the accommodation with a major label went tits up, and Into Paradise returned to their original home Setanta Records, who in the meantime had enjoyed great success with A House and Frank And Walters. This more sympathetic environment saw Long continue to mine a strong creative furrow, though his lyrics proved too barbed to allow major success to come courting again.

Under the Water is quite obviously shoegaze/indie pop but it’s rendered with elaborate guitar work and filled with lyrical mood swings. With their main and certain influences’; Echo and the Bunnymen, The Sound and Joy Division, Into Paradise literally wore their hearts on their sleeves. Boldly brandishing unambiguous Ian McCulloch style vocals, Adrian Borland pop sensibilities and Joy Division swagger, Under the Water is an energetic and emotional body of work, better still though, it’s a truckload of fun with some wickedly excellent tunes.