Shadow Ring: Hold Onto I.D. LP

Throughout their legendary decade-long run, The Shadow Ring were an enigmatic force on the international musical sub-underground. Before their disbandment in 2002, this shambolic rock outfit, formed by a group of rowdy teenagers in southeast England, left behind a mighty run of eight LPs, a handful of 7" singles, and a spate of raucous live shows and cryptic zine appearances on both sides of the Atlantic, all which have bolstered their enduring word-of-mouth mystique. Recorded from late 1996 through early 1997, "Hold Onto I.D.", The Shadow Ring's fourth album, marks the apogee of the trio's experimental rock epoch - their last record clinging to their factitious bandness before they let all song and structure go awash in sonic malaise for their final run of releases on Swill Radio. Originally released on CD and supported by a US tour with friends Scott Foust and Karla Borecky's Idea Fire Company, "Hold Onto I.D." is perhaps the band's best-known and most accessible album. The Shadow Ring's sole representative on a streaming platform, it was once acknowledged by the Guardian as one of "the 101 strangest records on Spotify". Offered here for the first time on vinyl, "Hold Onto I.D." is an essential album for both completists and the uninitiated alike.