The Clock Comes Down the Stairs

Hitting number one on the UK Indie Chart, this sophomore album perfectly captures the profound ideological tension at the core of the Irish expatriate band. 'The Clock Comes Down the Stairs' juxtaposes Sean O'Hagan's incredibly sweet, Beach Boys-inspired jangle pop arrangements with Cathal Coughlan's vitriolic, deeply cynical lyrical attacks on religion and politics. It stands as a pinnacle of literate, subversive 1980s independent pop.