"...Tremendous. The rebirth of British songwriting continues apace" Sounds

"Engaging and powerfully dramatic. the bathers add up to the most potent charge of emotional vinyl heard in many moons" Record Mirror

"Take a listen - it could be a work of genius." Melody Maker

"Pop songwriting of a classic kind...The best thing that's happened to my ears for a long time" N.M.E.

2. "sweet deceit" - 1990      

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"From the lazy, hazy 'Pursuit of an Orchid' right through to the last strains of the simple, short outro 'On the Steps at Park Circus', the album comes over as a complete and continuous selection of spell-binding beauty." Jerry Smith N.M.E.

"a unique impressionism...a fulfilling masterpiece of subtle suggestions and feelings" The Guardian

"Lagoon Blues is a marvel. From the opening orchestral string quartet ache of 'Venice Shoes' through the guitar jingle of 'Ave the Leopards' and the jazz-skiffle of 'Pissoir', the evidence suggests that Lagoon Blues hails a better universe, where cellos and poignant pianos flesh out pure poetry" VOX 8/10

"Bounded by an elegantly moulded song construction and perfectly realised arrangements, chris thomson delivers these sumptuous tunes with the born again soul intensity of a genuine Celtic troubadour, his octave defying, swoony vocal cruise across a smoothly textured undertow of warmly caressed strings and mesmerising piano melodies on an album which is quietly awesome" Paul Davies, Q. ****

"the bathers second Marina album (the fourth since 1987) finds mainstray chris thomson immersed in the eloquent, classical whirl that made 1993's Lagoon Blues such a wonder. The themes are still exotic and erotic, a mindscape of Europhile aesthetics and sensuous cries des coeurs. This time though, he is joined by the Cocteau Twins' Liz Fraser and an acoustic guitar. The former adds sweetness and light to "Danger in Love", staccato chirping to "Angel on Ruskin" and essential ballast to thomson's ocean-deep grumble and growl. The latter brings a blast of fresh air when the eddies of strings and organs threatens to drown the album in sumptuousness. From this, the likes of "She's Gone Forever" and "Send Me Your Halo" find thomson sounding his poppiest since the heady days of his seminal first combo, Friends Again" Craig McLean, VOX 7/10, May 1995

"As the guiding light of the bathers, thomson has crafted some of the most intelligent and inspired albums of the past ten years…In short, his is the great neglected talent of the British Music Scene" The Sunday Times, January 1997

"Ah, yes…Fragrant bouquets of lilies clutched to heaving bosoms…Feverishly thumbed volumes of poetry…heroically doomed romances acted out on moonlit boulevards…But enough about our private lives. the bathers have cut a fearlessly romantic swathe across Europe in the past ten years, creators of five rare aesthetically unchallenged albums that make The Divine Comedy's latest opus sound as sensuous as AC/DC. Punk rock, my friends, he is not. Rather, singer, songwriter and general unheralded genius chris thomson wraps this throaty, oddly Waitsian croon around staggeringly delicate piano and violin vignettes. Occasionally there are guitars but not, thank heavens, raucous ones. Often, there's the distinct suspicion that they may have listened to "Astral Weeks" a few times. Once or twice they go a bit folky and ropey and Hothouse Flowers-y. But lets forget all about that. "Kelvingrove Baby" is, for the most part, a truly lovely confection of endless yearning, overblown emotions, stirring tunes and high-grade ponciness. As thomson himself would never say: fucking ace." John Mulvey, VOX 8/10, May 1997

"There's no point in having song titles like "Once Upon a Time on the Rapenburg" and "Girl from the Polders" if you can't deliver something suitably stylish and cinematic. Fortunately Bathers kingpin chris thomson can and does, and this beautifully cohesive late night record oozes measured drama from start to finish. The meandering piano arpeggios, "holy of holics" backing vocals, and rolling narrative of the title track are particularly evocative, while James Grant's acoustic guitar lead on "No Risk No Glory" is full of joie de vivre. Perhaps thomson's Van/Tom/Bruce-styled vocal inflections are a little to studied in places, but you wouldn't want to miss out on the sheer artistry of Kelvingrove Baby just because of that." James McNair, MOJO April 1997

thomson makes intelligent, articulate, literary songs every bit as accomplished as both The Blue Nile and Tindersticks, with whom they share a statuesque majesty. From start to finish, this album is an open, aching love letter of often spectacular beauty ( the tender "Girlfriend" features the couplet "Isn't she fine/Positively the sweetest of her kind"} An exquisite record" Nick Duerden, Q ****, April 1997

recorded in full technicolour mostly in chris' bedroom (now girls!) but also in callum's gaff, CaVa, hyndland church hall (with you know who) this is one sumptuous, yearning and above all honest record. hazel's beautiful voice and hypnotic beats are to the fore and callum's guitar, melodic input and writing contribution are significant, brass necked, the bathers with trumpet and saxophone - robert and barry soaring and dueting, adding to the lusciousness…(this is very possibly a new word what we have invented.) we have the welcome additions of isobel (see photo) and richard from belle and sebastian. the bathers' diehard violin guru, iain white, joins regular fiddle master davy crichton on strings with bass input from ken, mario caribe, neil cameron and callum . but most of all, its his masters voice, piano, keyboards (various) and heartfelt, emotive songs that make this truly the best bathers album ever.

Read an alternative review of PANDEMONIA

"the 20 track CD contains some of the most gorgeously melodic tunes ever to come out of Scotland. they ooze a perfection and charm which will have listeners mining their back catalogue" says glasgow`s daily record newspaper. the songs have been re-recorded in the lavish style fans have become accustomed to over the years.