10 tracks · 40 min
69 is the debut album by British band A.R. Kane, released in 1988 on Rough Trade Records and produced by the band with additional co-production from Ray Shulman. Following the release of their acclaimed Lollita and Up Home! EPs, 69 developed the experimental "dream pop" style pioneered by the duo, blending elements of dub, acid rock, free jazz, and pop music. Music critic Martin C. Strong described the album's sound as "hard to pigeonhole yet seminal nevertheless." 69 reached number 1 on the UK Independent Albums Chart and was released to critical praise from the UK music press, garnering it comparisons to the work of disparate artists such as Miles Davis, Can, Arthur Russell, and Cocteau Twins. Writing for Melody Maker, critic Simon Reynolds described it as "the outstanding record of '88". The album has gone on to be an influential precursor to genres such as shoegaze, post-rock and trip hop. In a retrospective review, Ned Raggett called it "an unfairly long-lost classic".
