Back in the day, when I was but a merely cynical showgoer in upstate NY, I really liked me some Codeine. I had recently fallen head over heels for Seam and American Music Club (R.I.P. Tim Mooney) and Eitzel had mentioned that
The White Birch was his current favorite record. I checked it out and it did yeoman duty soundtracking my early days in NYC. The trio split before I could see them around town and I relegated the trio to the increasingly large cadre of bands I had missed where bootleg video would have to suffice.
The early part of this year brought news from Henry Owings that he would be designing a new Codeine box set called
When I See The Sun for The Numero Group. Even better, word was that Codeine were going to play some shows behind it. This LPR show is/was ostensibly their last show ever and bizarrely enough did not appear to be to a full room, but there was a Brooklyn show that started these dates, so maybe that accounted for it. Regardless, Codeine made the most of their twelve songs set (see below) before returning for a Joy Division cover (Atmosphere) and a closing Broken-Hearted Wine.
Codeine are an earnest bunch, especially Stephen, something that made fine records, but perhaps can be somewhat less than great in a small van on tour pre-Internet. Regardless of time passed and the Codeine members present more positive life and mindstates, the gents do not seem to be overstaying their welcome. The box set is selling well, if not out, and I would expect that we'll see some video coming down the pike, but at present it seems that Codeine, as grateful as they seem for the shine almost two decades later, is staying an ex-band. Another classy turn from a classy band, but it is sad to see them go again.
Get
When I See The Sun or each of the three Codeine releases in individual expanded form
here from your new best friends at The Numero Group.
R