For a band who got tagged twee, Heavenly rocked pretty hard when they wanted to. The crunchy edges of the tunes on their fourth album proper, Operation Heavenly were a surprise in 1996. Heard again now, on the new reissue of that final Heavenly record, those riffs positively ring. For an album that once seemed like an outlier in their quartet of long-players, Heavenly's Operation Heavenly is an offering that time has been kind to. In other words, this might just have been their peak on record.
In 1996, "Trophy Girlfriend" got put next to current singles by Sleeper on a lot of mix tapes by yours truly. Similarly, the breathy "Space Manatee" has the sort of rush of guitars and hooks that made it a nice pairing with "Ladykillers" and "Single Girl" by Lush. In 1996, with Operation Heavenly, Heavenly were taking their place right next to groups who were maybe a little influenced by Heavenly already. The fuller, larger sound here still works, and while the record still surprises when played next to their others, it's a massively enjoyable piece of work. Production from Ian Shaw (The Times, Huggy Bear, Comet Gain) favors volume, a nice separation of instruments, and maximum riffage when appropriate.
For all that, there's still sweetness here in the Heavenly sound. A Gainsbourg cover is pleasantly surprising, and "By the Way" has a glorious melodic turn, and may just be Amelia Fletcher's finest vocal performance with the band. There's a hint of "Lost in the Supermarket" in the melodic appeal of "Mark Angel", and the sort of lively sass that could have possibly inspired site faves Kenickie in the era. Throw in a fun number with guest vocals from Calvin Johnston (Beat Happening), and what's not to love here? If you weren't convinced in 1996, this 2025 reissue of Operation Heavenly adds in a nice Flamin' Groovies cover ("You Tore Me Down"), and a superb run at "Art School" from The Jam.
Remarkably different than Heavenly albums 1 through 3, Operation Heavnely is stil a treasure chest of lively pop. Heavenly in 1996 -- Amelia Fletcher (vocals and guitar), Peter Momtchiloff (guitar), Cathy Rogers (keyboards and vocals), Rob Pursey (bass), and the late Mathew Fletcher (drums) -- really created magic here. I guess you could say that about any of their records, but there's something really bright here that I loved in 1996, especially as the album was a sort of response to the overwhelming wave of laddish Britpop at the time. Thankfully my love is not just nostalgia as Operation Heavenly really does sound absolutely superb still, especially so on this 2025 reissue.
Operation Heavenly by Heavenly is out now via Skep Wax.
My review of the new single from Heavenly, "Portland Town" is here.
[Photo: Heavenly]