Record Collector, January 1999
THE
UNBELIEVABLE TRUTH
More bittersweet tunes from the talented Yorke family.
RARITY: "Building" (CD single, Shifty Disco DISCO 9702, 1,000 copies 2/97)..........£30
Nepotism in rock - it's a wonderful thing. Look at Mike McCartney, he did OK with the Scaffold, didn't he? And the reputation of the Gibb brothers got young Andy off to a flying start, too. However, having a famous brother can be a millstone around your neck, as Andy Yorke has found out over the past couple of years.
With older brother Thom's band, Radiohead, reaching new globe-straddling heights, it was inevitable that Andy's band, the Unbelievable Truth,would be compared unfavourably to his sibling's supergroup. Formed in Abington,Oxford in the summer of 1994 and named after a film by the American indie director Hal Hartley, the vocals and guitar of Yorke were joined by Jason Moulster on bass and Nigel Powell on drums.
Hailing from Oxford, it was natural that the Unbelievable Truth would record for the local Shifty Disco label, under the auspices of the wonderful Angela Sammon, a philanthropic outfit that distributes new and exciting sounds to subscribers, who each get a uniquely numbered CD single every month. "Building", backed by "Too Many Things To Learn", was the Feburary 1997 selection for the label's monthly singles club, and demonstrated the band's ability to portray delicate emotion, like Radiohead, but with less whining and a clearer vocal style. Chiming acoustic guitars and melancoly Farifsa organ add to the moody mix, generating a feeling of quiet power.
As 1997 drew to a close, the Unbelievable Truth were snapped up by Virgin, and produced a string of notable singles, starting with the "Stone" EP in October, quickly followed by "Higher Than Reason" in February 1998. The debut album, "Almost Here" was released in April, to great acclaim. Jaunts abroad are also high on the agenda - with fans as far afield as Japan,and Yorke's interest (nay, obsession) in Russian culture and literature,there's bound to be plenty of hoovering and dusting to be done when they getback home. But not just yet... A US tour supporting Tori Amos sees the Unbelievable Truth go from strength to strength, and '99 should hopefully see a blinding second album, and the now obligatory world domination.
(thanks to Steve)