2LP
Temporary Residence Limited (2023) UK
Formed in 1996 by schoolmates Kieran Hebden, Adem Ilhan, and Sam Jeffers, Fridge were astonishingly prolific in their early years – releasing ten singles and four albums in just their first four years together. After a brief stint with a major label imprint – which saw the trio release their most focused album to date (Eph, 1999) – Fridge delivered their fourth album, Happiness.
Originally released in 2001, Happiness was a sprawling, pastoral masterpiece – an innovative mix of acoustic clatter, electronic exploration, hip-hop production techniques, and experimental rock arrangements. Along with Hebden's blossoming solo project, Four Tet, Happiness dragged the most compelling elements of the typically self-serious electronic, indie, and avant-rock of the 1990s and married them to eclectic folk and spiritual jazz for the new century. More remarkably, they did it without an ounce of pretense, imbued with an earnest and intimate execution that stood in stark contrast to virtually every comparable album of its time.
Happiness – Anniversary Edition is the 20th anniversary reissue of Fridge's career-defining gem. Meticulously restored, reconstructed, and remastered from the original master tapes by Kieran Hebden, the album's sound quality honors the original recordings like never before. The vinyl was cut by award-winning archival mastering engineer, Kevin Gray, and pressed onto 150-gram audiophile-quality vinyl by Quality Record Pressings. The exquisite heavyweight old-style tip-on gatefold jacket was printed and assembled by hand at Stoughton Printing Company, to complete this masterful reissue of this momentous album.