Breathless are an English dream pop band formed in 1983 by Dominic Appleton (vocals, keyboards), Gary Mundy (guitar), Ari Neufeld (bass) and Tristram Latimer-Sayer (drums).[1] Across nearly four decades, Breathless has released seven studio albums, one compilation album and 13 singles and EPs,[2][3] all on their own label, Tenor Vossa Records.
Their music has been described as "melancholic",[4] with AllMusic's Ned Raggett calling the band "underappreciated" and saying "the majority of Breathless' work has squarely fit into a lush vein of haunting, epic music unafraid of a moody theatricality".[1]
Appleton is also known for his vocal contributions in 4AD supergroup This Mortal Coil, appearing on three tracks on their 1986 album Filigree & Shadow, and one track on their 1991 album Blood.[5]
History
Appleton and Mundy knew each other from school and had played earlier in a group called A Cruel Memory. Appleton met bassist Neufeld while working at London's Virgin Megastore. Neufeld recruited Appleton as a keyboardist for a band she was currently in, but the two soon realized that while they were happy making music together, the band as a whole didn't please them. They split away from the group and started working on songs, with Appleton taking over vocal duties and suggesting Mundy for the guitarist role. Shortly thereafter, drummer Latimer-Sayer joined the band, but left in 1987 during sessions for their second album, Three Times and Waving. In 1987, he was replaced by ex-Danielle Dax drummer Martyn Watts, who remained with the band until 2006. Latimer-Sayer subsequently rejoined in as the band's drummer in 2011. The name "Breathless" was taken from Jean-Luc Godard's French New Wave film of the same name.[1]
In 1984 and 1985, Breathless released their first singles, "Waterland"/"Second Heaven" and "Ageless", as well as the EP Two Days from Eden prior to their debut album, The Glass Bead Game, which was issued in June 1986. The band released three further studio albums, 1987's Three Times and Waving, 1989's Chasing Promises and 1991's Between Happiness and Heartache, as well as a handful of singles. A compilation of tracks recorded between 1984 and 1994 was issued as Heartburst in March 1994, preceded by the 1993 non-album single "Don't Just Disappear". The band took a recording hiatus after the release of "Don't Just Disappear" and re-emerged in 1999 with Blue Moon, an album featuring a more prominent drone rock influence.[6] The most recent Breathless album, Green to Blue, was released in November 2012. It featured special guest and This Mortal Coil/4AD alumna Heidi Berry, as well as the return of original drummer Latimer-Sayer.[7]
Between 1986 and 1991, Appleton was asked by 4AD label founder Ivo Watts-Russell to contribute vocals to the 4AD supergroup This Mortal Coil, appearing on three tracks on their 1986 sophomore album, Filigree & Shadow ("The Jeweller", "Tarantula" and "Strength of Strings"), and one track on their 1991 album Blood ("I Am the Cosmos"). Watts-Russell said of Appleton, "Without exaggeration Dominic Appleton is by far my favourite living male vocalist. He has such a beautiful, sad voice and comes up with melodies that do the same".[8]
Prior to Breathless, Appleton and Mundy played keyboards and guitar, respectively, on Anne Clark's 1982 debut album, The Sitting Room.[9]
Breathless established their own record label, Tenor Vossa Records, to release their material. Tenor Vossa's roster has also included releases from Richard Warren, Laymar, Beat Milk Jugs, Bender, Scenic, Moly, Your Black Star and photographer Steve Gullick's musical project Tenebrous Liar.[10]
Influences
In a 2012 interview with online magazine Pennyblackmusic, Appleton told interviewer Carl Brookstein that the band's shared influences include Pink Floyd, the Velvet Underground, the Only Ones, Can, Cocteau Twins and Brian Eno.[11] He told Brookstein that he was "very caught up in the music being put out by 4AD" in the 1980s, including Rema-Rema, Mass, the Wolfgang Press, Cocteau Twins and Dead Can Dance, even prior to participating with the label's supergroup This Mortal Coil. He said, "Hearing 'Song to the Siren' for the first time was a monumental moment for me, and It'll End in Tears was stunning... This Mortal Coil are there in the Breathless melting pot, music that's so beautiful and fragile".[11] Appleton noted a preference for female singers, citing Elizabeth Fraser and Billie Holiday as key vocal influences, while hailing Kate Bush as having "the most amazing musical imagination". He also said, "I am not a huge fan of many male singers, but I think John Grant has a stunning voice and I've listened to David Sylvian since I was a teenager".[11] He further cited the Only Ones' Peter Perrett as his favourite lyricist, and Mark Cox of Mass and the Wolfgang Press as his favourite keyboard player. Appleton also noted Peter Hook and Jah Wobble as influences on Neufeld's bass playing, and Tom Verlaine, Neil Young, Maurice Deebank and John Perry as guitarist Mundy's top influences.[11]
In the 2012 interview with Pennyblackmusic, Appleton said that his lyrics are autobiographical. "I find it really hard to sing about things that aren't real or I can't relate to", he said.[11] In a 2016 interview with Pennyblackmusic, Appleton acknowledged the band's melancholy sound, saying, "I think that's what Breathless do best. In the past people have criticised us for our melancholy sound and I felt defensive about it and tried to justify it. I just don't care now, the fact is that's what we do and what I love about what we do. The bulk of the music I listen to is melancholy and I know Ari and Gary are the same. I listen to pop music too when I feel like it and I enjoy it a lot but it's a different kind of listening. I don't understand why people find melancholia a negative thing in music. I think it's positive, it's reflective and thoughtful, it's complex and it's wonderfully indulgent and emotional. It's not wallowing in self-pity, it's losing yourself in self-reflection and nostalgia".[4]
Members
- Current members
- Dominic Appleton - vocals, keyboards (1983-present)
- Gary Mundy - guitars, additional vocals (1983-present)
- Ari Neufeld - bass, additional guitar (1983-present)
- Tristram Latimer-Sayer - drums, percussion (1983-1987, 2011-present)
- Former members
- Martyn Watts - drums, percussion (1987-2006)
Discography
Albums
| Year |
Title |
Track listing |
| 1986 |
The Glass Bead Game
- Released: June 1986
- Label: Tenor Vossa (BREATH4)
- Formats: LP, CD
|
| 1. |
"Across the Water" |
4:55 |
| 2. |
"All My Eye and Betty Martin" |
5:23 |
| 3. |
"Count on Angels" |
4:39 |
| 4. |
"Monkey Talk" |
7:31 |
| 5. |
"Every Road Leads Home" |
3:54 |
| 6. |
"Touchstone" |
5:22 |
| 7. |
"Sense of Purpose" |
4:20 |
| 8. |
"See How the Land Lies" |
6:28 |
| 9. |
"Stone Harvest" (CD bonus track) |
6:13 |
|
| 1987 |
Three Times and Waving
- Released: November 1987
- Label: Tenor Vossa (BREATH6)
- Formats: LP, CD
|
| 1. |
"Sold Down the River" |
3:19 |
| 2. |
"Is It Good News Today?" |
4:53 |
| 3. |
"Three Times and Waving" |
3:20 |
| 4. |
"Into the Fire" |
4:13 |
| 5. |
"Working for Space" |
3:46 |
| 6. |
"Waiting on the Wire" |
5:11 |
| 7. |
"Dizzy Life" |
4:14 |
| 8. |
"Say September Sings" |
4:00 |
| 9. |
"Let's Make a Night of It" |
7:22 |
|
| 1989 |
Chasing Promises
- Released: April 1989
- Label: Tenor Vossa (BREATH7) (UK);
Troy Records (TROY005) (US)
- Formats: LP, CD
|
| 1. |
"Compulsion" |
6:51 |
| 2. |
"Here by Chance" |
6:25 |
| 3. |
"Better Late Than Never" |
6:52 |
| 4. |
"Heartburst" |
4:52 |
| 5. |
"Moment by Moment" |
6:25 |
| 6. |
"Smash Palace" |
4:08 |
| 7. |
"Sometimes on Sunday" |
6:47 |
| 8. |
"Glow" |
5:30 |
| 9. |
"Ageless" (U.S. CD bonus track) |
6:41 |
| 10. |
"Pride" (U.S. CD bonus track) |
6:58 |
|
| 1991 |
Between Happiness and Heartache
- Released: October 1991
- Label: Tenor Vossa (BREATH10)
- Formats: LP, CD
- Reissued: August 2003
- Format: enhanced CD (with bonus track and black-and-white cover art)
|
| 1. |
"I Never Know Where You Are" |
5:43 |
| 2. |
"Over and Over" |
4:14 |
| 3. |
"Wave After Wave" |
5:22 |
| 4. |
"You Can Call It Yours" |
5:57 |
| 5. |
"All That Matters Now" |
6:03 |
| 6. |
"Clearer Than Daylight" |
3:48 |
| 7. |
"Flowers Die" (written by Peter Perrett) |
4:29 |
| 8. |
"Help Me Get Over It" |
5:09 |
| 9. |
"Everything I See" (2003 CD reissue bonus track) |
5:51 |
|
| 1999 |
Blue Moon
- Released: 25 June 1999
- Label: Tenor Vossa (BREATH15/16)
- Formats: CD, limited edition 2CD
- Reissued: 12 February 2016
- Formats: 2CD, 2LP (with bonus tracks)
|
| 1. |
"Walk Down to the Water" |
7:19 |
| 2. |
"Magic Lamp" |
7:24 |
| 3. |
"Viva" |
3:44 |
| 4. |
"Goodnight" |
6:58 |
| 5. |
"Green Finger Swinger" |
4:49 |
| 6. |
"Come Reassure Me" |
6:29 |
| 7. |
"All the Reasons Slide" |
6:42 |
| 8. |
"Drifting" |
2:22 |
| 9. |
"Ballroom" |
3:08 |
| 10. |
"No Answered Prayers" |
10:19 |
| 1. |
"Moonstone Part 1" |
27:01 |
| 2. |
"Moonstone Part 2" |
22:23 |
| 1. |
"Walk Down to the Water" |
7:19 |
| 2. |
"Magic Lamp" |
7:24 |
| 3. |
"Viva" |
3:44 |
| 4. |
"Goodnight" |
6:58 |
| 5. |
"Green Finger Swinger" |
4:49 |
| 6. |
"Come Reassure Me" |
6:29 |
| 7. |
"All the Reasons Slide" |
6:42 |
| 8. |
"Drifting" |
2:22 |
| 9. |
"Ballroom" |
3:08 |
| 10. |
"No Answered Prayers" |
10:19 |
| 11. |
"Moonstone 3" (bonus track) |
12:50 |
| 12. |
"Blue Moon" (bonus track) |
4:47 |
|
| 2003 |
Behind the Light
- Released: 16 June 2003
- Label: Tenor Vossa (BREATH19)
- Format: CD
|
| 1. |
"After All These Years" |
3:58 |
| 2. |
"And So the Dream Goes On" |
5:54 |
| 3. |
"Stay Beside You" |
4:46 |
| 4. |
"Nobody Knows" |
3:54 |
| 5. |
"Rising" |
4:44 |
| 6. |
"Behind the Light"
- I. "Closer"
- II. "You Never Left Me"
- III. "Closer Still"
- IV. "Always with You"
|
13:46 |
| 7. |
"Fade" |
3:54 |
|
| 2012 |
Green to Blue
- Released: 26 November 2012
- Label: Tenor Vossa (BREATH20)
- Formats: 2CD, 2LP
|
| 1. |
"Please Be Happy" |
6:08 |
| 2. |
"I Want You to Realise" |
3:09 |
| 3. |
"Next Time You Fall" |
6:01 |
| 4. |
"Everything Is Us" |
3:29 |
| 5. |
"It's Good to See You" |
6:46 |
| 6. |
"Walk Away" |
11:24 |
| 7. |
"Rain Down Now" |
4:08 |
| 8. |
"Fade Away" |
8:20 |
| 9. |
"The Same Rooms Without You" |
4:29 |
| 10. |
"Just for Today" |
8:15 |
| 11. |
"The Last Light of Day" |
7:05 |
|
Compilation albums
| Year |
Title |
Details |
| 1994 |
Heartburst
- Released: 28 March 1994
- Label: Tenor Vossa (BREATH13);
compilation of tracks 1984-1994
- Format: CD
|
| 1. |
"Don't Just Disappear" (Radio Edit) |
3:58 |
| 2. |
"You Can Call It Yours" |
5:57 |
| 3. |
"I Never Know Where You Are" |
5:43 |
| 4. |
"All That Matters Now" |
6:01 |
| 5. |
"Always" |
3:37 |
| 6. |
"Over and Over" |
4:11 |
| 7. |
"Waiting on the Wire" |
5:12 |
| 8. |
"Wave After Wave" |
5:23 |
| 9. |
"Ageless" |
6:42 |
| 10. |
"Pride" |
7:01 |
| 11. |
"All My Eye and Betty Martin" |
5:24 |
| 12. |
"Touchstone" |
5:22 |
| 13. |
"Don't Just Disappear" (Long Version) |
5:46 |
|
Singles and EPs
| Year |
Single |
Details |
| 1984 |
"Waterland"/"Second Heaven"
- Released: April 1984
- Label: Tenor Vossa (BREATH1)
|
| 1. |
"Waterland" |
3:53 |
| 2. |
"Second Heaven" |
4:45 |
|
"Ageless"
- Released: November 1984
- Label: Tenor Vossa (BREATH2)
|
| 1. |
"Ageless" |
6:41 |
| 2. |
"A New Chapter" |
3:46 |
| 3. |
"Fallen Dreams" |
4:47 |
|
| 1985 |
Two Days from Eden EP
- Released: August 1985
- Label: Tenor Vossa (BREATH3)
|
| 1. |
"Pride" |
7:01 |
| 2. |
"Across the Water" |
4:50 |
| 3. |
"Stone Harvest" |
6:13 |
| 4. |
"Like Knives" |
3:37 |
|
| 1986 |
Nailing Colours to the Wheel EP
- Released: November 1986
- Label: Tenor Vossa (BREATH5)
|
| 1. |
"Bad Blood" |
4:34 |
| 2. |
"Waiting on the Wire" |
5:11 |
| 3. |
"Count on Angels" |
4:39 |
| 4. |
"The Warmest Kiss" |
5:04 |
|
| 1989 |
"I Never Know Where You Are"
- Released: October 1989
- Label: Tenor Vossa (BREATH8)
|
| 1. |
"I Never Know Where You Are" |
5:43 |
| 2. |
"Moment by Moment" (Version) |
5:55 |
| 3. |
"Heartburst" |
4:52 |
|
| 1990 |
"Always"/"Flowers Die"
- Released: July 1990
- Label: Tenor Vossa (BREATH9)
|
| 1. |
"Always" |
3:37 |
| 2. |
"Flowers Die" (written by Peter Perrett) |
4:29 |
|
| 1991 |
"Over and Over"/"All That Matters Now"
- Released: November 1991
- Label: Tenor Vossa (BREATH11)
|
| 1. |
"Over and Over" |
4:15 |
| 2. |
"All That Matters Now" |
6:04 |
| 3. |
"Waiting on the Wire" |
5:15 |
| 4. |
"Moment by Moment" (Version) |
5:55 |
|
| 1993 |
"Don't Just Disappear"
- Released: July 1993
- Label: Tenor Vossa (BREATH12)
|
| 1. |
"Don't Just Disappear" (Long Version) |
5:45 |
| 2. |
"Everything I See" |
5:50 |
| 3. |
"Don't Just Disappear" (Radio Edit) |
3:58 |
|
| 1999 |
"Magic Lamp"
- Released: 28 June 1999
- Label: Tenor Vossa (BREATH14)
|
| 1. |
"Magic Lamp" (Edit) |
4:46 |
| 2. |
"Blue Moon" |
4:47 |
|
| 2000 |
"Walk Down to the Water"/"Goodnight"
- Released: June 2000
- Label: Tenor Vossa (BREATH17)
|
| 1. |
"Walk Down to the Water" (Edit) |
4:00 |
| 2. |
"Goodnight" |
7:04 |
| 3. |
"Moonstone Part 3" |
12:50 |
|
| 2003 |
"After All These Years"
- Released: April 2003
- Label: Tenor Vossa (BREATH18)
|
| 1. |
"After All These Years" |
3:49 |
| 2. |
"Solar Blue" |
5:25 |
| 3. |
"Ribbon Waves" |
9:54 |
|
| 2012 |
"Next Time You Fall"/"I Want You to Realise"
- Released: 19 November 2012
- Label: Tenor Vossa (promo-only)
|
| 1. |
"Next Time You Fall" (Edit) |
3:37 |
| 2. |
"I Want You to Realise" |
3:09 |
| 3. |
"Next Time You Fall" (Album Version) |
6:02 |
|
| 2013 |
"Please Be Happy"
- Released: 20 April 2013
- Label: Tenor Vossa (BREATH22)
|
| 1. |
"Please Be Happy" (Edit) |
3:37 |
| 2. |
"The Same Rooms Without You" (Readers Wife Remix) |
5:13 |
| 3. |
"Next Time You Fall" (Jim Sclavunos Remix) |
3:14 |
| 4. |
"Please Be Happy" (Album Version) |
6:09 |
|
Music videos
| Year |
Video |
Director |
Link |
| 1991 |
"Over and Over" |
Damon Heath |
YouTube |
| 1993 |
"Don't Just Disappear" |
|
YouTube |
|
| 2012 |
"Next Time You Fall" |
Harry Wright |
YouTube |
| "I Want You to Realise" |
Harry Wright |
YouTube |
| 2013 |
"Please Be Happy" |
David Masters |
YouTube |
| 2015 |
"Walk Down to the Water" |
Ari Neufeld |
YouTube |
|
References
External links
