"Obscurity Knocks" is a song by Scottish band

The Trash Can Sinatras Trashcan Sinatras are a Scottish band that were formed in Irvine, Scotland in 1986. The band's music makes frequent use of pop harmonies and wordplay. History Formation The band members met through the club/pub music scene in Irvine. The o ...

, which was released in 1990 as an

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

(and promotional single in the United States) from their debut studio album ''

Cake Cake is a flour confection made from flour, sugar, and other ingredients, and is usually baked. In their oldest forms, cakes were modifications of bread, but cakes now cover a wide range of preparations that can be simple or elaborate, ...

''. It was written by all five band members and produced by

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. The EP reached No. 86 in the UK and remained on the chart for four weeks. In 1991, the song reached No. 12 on the ''

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chart.

Critical reception

On its release, Kevin Murphy of ''

Record Mirror ''Record Mirror'' was a British weekly music newspaper between 1954 and 1991 for pop fans and record collectors. Launched two years after the ''NME'', it never attained the circulation of its rival. The first UK album chart was published in ''Re ...

'' described "Obscurity Knocks" as "pleasantly-strummed, inoffensive pop" and commented, "This lot keep up Scotland's fine tradition for producing guitar pop, with the likes of Aztec Camera springing to mind. Melodic and mature with a neat sense of drama, they're a touch astute to be dismissed as twee, jangling guitar music. A plusher sound should see them embellish the charts some day." Tim Southwell of ''

'' stated, "'Obscurity Knocks' is an absolute howitzer of a single with one eye firmly on the Top 40, jangly guitars, a snappy beat and some marvellously intriguing lyrics providing the ideal backdrop for Frank's love-torn vocals." Bob Stanley of ''

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'' said that beyond the band's "dreadful name", "Obscurity Knocks" has a "strong melody reminiscent of the Housemartins and the La's, some neat xylophone to touch up the chorus, and a singer not afraid to sound Scottish without resorting to the porridge gargling antics of the Proclaimers". He added that "everything's dandy except the lyrics which are 90 per cent gruesome puns that even

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would think twice about". Andrew Collins of ''

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'' picked it as one of the magazine's "singles of the week" and described the EP as a "four-song miracle of human life" and "overwhelming winsome and winning". He wrote, "Aztec Camera, the Housemartins, the Smiths and the La's – all very special groups, and now you can listen to them all at once! Perfect. Crystalline. Divine. Confident..." Penny Kiley of the ''

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'' praised the song as being a "beautifully melodic guitar jangle that lifts the spirits straight away". She noted how Reader's vocals were reminiscent of Roddy Frame and felt the song musically had "hints of the Housemartins and a bit of the Smiths". Jennifer Grant of the ''

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'' described it as an "excellent single" and one that has a "sprinkle of the Smiths, a touch of

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and just a hint of Roddy Frame about it". In a review of ''Cake'', '' Orange Coast Magazine'' described the song as one of the "standouts" on "this fine debut". In a retrospective review of ''Cake'', Norm Elrod of

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described the song, along with the album's other singles, as the "tastiest pieces of pure pop pleasure". In a 1999 review of the album by

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, Carlene Bauer commented: "'Obscurity Knocks,' a high-spirited grouse about fickle fame and fleeting youth, is the best - and eeriest - number." Colin Larkin, in his 1995 book ''

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'', described the song as "plaintive".

Track listing

7-inch EP # "Obscurity Knocks" – 3:36 # "Who's He?" – 2:58 # "The Best Man's Fall" – 3:39 12-inch EP # "Obscurity Knocks" – 3:36 # "The Best Man's Fall" – 3:39 # "Drunken Chorus" – 4:11 # "Who's He?" – 2:58 Cassette EP # "Obscurity Knocks" – 3:36 # "Who's He?" – 2:58 # "The Best Man's Fall" – 3:39 CD EP # "Obscurity Knocks" – 3:36 # "The Best Man's Fall" – 3:39 # "Drunken Chorus" – 4:11 # "Who's He?" – 2:58 CD single (US promo) # "Obscurity Knocks (Edit)" - 3:35 # "Obscurity Knocks (Album Version)" - 4:10

Personnel

The Trash Can Sinatras * Frank Reader – vocals * Paul Livingston – lead guitar * John Douglas – rhythm guitar * George McDaid – bass * Stephen Douglas – drums Production *

– producer * Peter Rose – assistant producer, engineer * Tony Harris – engineer * John Leckie – mixing on "Obscurity Knocks" Other * Ben Argueta – design (US release) * Porterhouse Management – management

Charts

References

{{The Trash Can Sinatras 1990 songs 1990 singles London Records EPs Go! Discs singles