''Frigid Stars LP'' is the debut

album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

by American

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...

band

Codeine Codeine is an opiate and prodrug of morphine mainly used to treat pain, coughing, and diarrhea. It is also commonly used as a recreational drug. It is found naturally in the sap of the opium poppy, ''Papaver somniferum''. It is typically use ...

. It was released in February 1991 on Glitterhouse in Europe and in May 1991 on

Sub Pop Sub Pop is an independent record label founded in 1986 by Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman. Sub Pop achieved fame in the early 1990s for signing Seattle bands such as Nirvana (band), Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Mudhoney, central players in the gru ...

in the United States. The album was released to generally positive reviews and is regarded as being one of the pioneering albums in the

slowcore Slowcore, also known as sadcore, is a subgenre of indie rock characterised by its subdued tempos, minimalist instrumentation, and sombre vocal performances. Slowcore's influences are diverse, involving varying other genres, including folk rock ...

genre. "New Year's" is a

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

of a track co-written by

Bitch Magnet Bitch Magnet was an American post-hardcore band who formed in 1986 at Oberlin College in Ohio and later moved to North Carolina. History Bitch Magnet released their first record in 1988. All of the band's albums were released on Communion Re ...

singer Sooyoung Park. Park did not record the track himself until 1992, with new band Seam. Park is featured on the song "Summer Dresses", which can be found on the 2012 expanded

reissue In the music industry, a reissue (also re-release, repackage or re-edition) is the release of an album or single which has been released at least once before, sometimes with alterations or additions. Reasons for reissue New audio formats Reco ...

by the

label A label (as distinct from signage) is a piece of paper, plastic film, cloth, metal, or other material affixed to a container or product. Labels are most often affixed to packaging and containers using an adhesive, or sewing when affix ...

The Numero Group The Numero Group is an archival record label that creates compilations of previously released music, reissues original albums, and creates album reconstructions from a variety of musical genres. The label, known as Numero, was founded in 2003 ...

. This edition also placed "3 Angels" to the fourth track on the album. "Cave-In" has been covered by rock band

Cave In Cave In is an American rock band that formed in 1995 in Methuen, Massachusetts. The band's lineup solidified with the 1998 release of '' Until Your Heart Stops'' through Hydra Head Records, and their early albums were prominent in the metalco ...

and appears on their compilation album '' Anomalies, Vol. 1''. The song title was the inspiration for their band name. The phrase "frigid stars" is taken from a line in the song "Crap Rap 2" by the Fall from their 1979 album '' Live at the Witch Trials''.

Critical reception

The ''

St. Petersburg Times The ''Tampa Bay Times'', called the ''St. Petersburg Times'' until 2011, is an American newspaper published in St. Petersburg, Florida, United States. It is published by the Times Publishing Company, which is owned by The Poynter Institute f ...

'' noted that "comparisons to Spacemen 3 and Galaxie 500 have been made, but Codeine is on a purer, more simplistic level." In 2008, ''Frigid Stars LP'' was chosen by ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

'' as one of the 20 best Sub Pop albums.

Track listing

Personnel

;Codeine *

Chris Brokaw Chris Brokaw (born August 1, 1964) is an American musician, best known for his work with the bands Come (American band), Come and Codeine (band), Codeine. Life and career While studying at Oberlin College, Brokaw met many people who became figu ...

– drums, guitar * John Engle – guitar * Stephen Immerwahr – bass guitar, vocals, all instruments on demo versions of "Pea", "Second Chance", "Pickup Song", "Cave-In", and "Kitchen" ;Additional personnel * Mike McMackin – piano on "Pea" * Peter Pollack – drums on "Castle", "Skeletons", and "3 Angels" * Sooyoung Park – bass on demo version of "Summer Dresses" ;Production *Mike McMackin – production, recording *Laura Larson – photography *Tammi Colichio – cover art

References

External links

* {{Authority control Codeine (band) albums Sub Pop albums 1990 debut albums