What your perversion?

A phenomenal label compilation highlighting British (with a few exceptions) indie pop that was too damn good for the mainstream.

**Please do not reveal artist in comments!**
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People Have Names 7" (1986)

More mystery rock 'o the 80s.  Just the stuff of Wilfully Obscure dreams.  The only contact info provided for People With Names was an oblong leaflet tossed in with this 45 providing a Buffalo, NY contact address.  If indeed that's where this combo hails from they didn't have squat to do with the likes of the Goo Goo Dolls.  Instead, PWN subscribed to a synthy aesthetic more in league with coldwave.  The A-side "Entertainer" isn't your typical radio-friendly keyboard fodder, rather sleek and cerebral with minimalist undercurrents bearing an irresistible concaved rhythm.  The vocals, predominantly spoken, may not jibe with everyone, but they do vaguely recall Neil Tennant's parlance in the Pet Shop Boys "West End Girls." The flip, "Another Florence Nightingale" ups the melodic ante a tad without sacrificing mystique.  Deliciously subterranean with DIY sophistication for miles.  My copy of the sleeve has a rather obtrusive radio station decal that I was mostly able to Photoshop out.

A. Entertainer
B. Another Florence Nightingale

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Bone Symphony - s/t ep (1983)

I was the under the assumption that one Scott Wilk had no other claim to (not-so-much) fame than the eponymous record he recorded with his band The Walls way back in 1980.  Turns out that wasn't his only musical foray, as I learned quite belatedly of his subsequent stint as frontman for Bone Symphony.  Sure enough, by 1983 Wilk had traded in the Walls Elvis Costello homage for B/S's de rigueur new wave, albeit not the serious variety, say like OMD or even Duran.  Instead, Bone Symphony loosely opted for Oingo Boingo as their template.  Amidst this ep's five numbers were patently cheesy keyboard maneuvers aplenty, with the band all but insisting they had proficiently absorbed the latest '80s studio affectations lock, stock and barrel.  Thing is, parts of the record are genuinely catchy and warrant repeat spins, namely "It's a Jungle Out There" and "Dome of the Spheres."  Unfortunately nothing on the record made it beyond early-AM MTV playlist status, however Wilk and Co. earned minor notoriety with Bone's contribution to the first Revenge of the Nerds soundtrack, "One Foot on Front of the Other."  Not for nothing, The Hustle podcast did a fairly in depth interview with the man in question not too long ago. 

01. It's a Jungle Out There
02. Everything I Say is a Lie
03. I'll Be There for You
04. Piece of My Heart
05. Dome of the Spheres

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Your excellence is almost scientific.

The bonus disc, and only the bonus disc of this expanded reissue of a 1979 classic.

**Please do not reveal artist in comments!**

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PS I Love You - Heart of Stone (2002, Rocket Girl)

If you weren't able to get enough of Majesty Crush's lone LP, Love 15 and spate of short form releases, you'll be happy to know there was an epilogue of sorts via the late David Stroughter's subsequent project, PS I Love You.  M/C were consistently pinned with the shoegazer tag, at least by the press, but their heady dream pop inclinations were only half the story.  Beneath that gauzy glaze was sincere songwriting and a somewhat clandestine melodic undercurrent.  In a nutshell, Stroughter eschewed much of Majesty's extraneous noise, and treated PS I Love You as something of a glorified solo entity, and a comparatively breathable one at that. Ironically, one of my favorites on Heart of Stone, "Amsterdam," is none other than a blatant rewrite of M/C's "Penny for Love."  Considering how much I loved the original incarnation of that song, I'm hardly complaining!  Elsewhere we get shout-outs to a certain My Bloody Valentine frontman ("Where the Fuck if Kevin Shields") and the Beatles ("Set the Controls for the Heart of Liverpool"), alongside ruminations on far less iconic topics.

If the achingly bittersweet "Unless I See You Again" sounds vaguely familiar, it's likely because you downloaded it here, on Majesty Crush's exceedingly scarce mini-LP, P.S. I Love You, the title of which foreshadowed Stroughter's second act.

01. Irish Fuzz
02. New York
03. Where the Fuck is Kevin Shields
04. Amsterdam
05. Burnout Girl
06. Camel Toe
07. Anna
08. Love Will Find a Way
09. Hail Mary
10. Unless I See You Again
11. Set the Controls for the Heart of Liverpool
12. No Sharks Allowed

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Subdueds - s/t (1987, Subdued)

My best guess is this West Haven, Connecticut quartet didn't make a huge name for themselves outside of their local enclave, because I hadn't heard so much as a mere mention of them before happening upon this record a couple years ago.  Then again, the Subdueds weren't at all indebted to the gaudier and gimmick-ier temptations of their era, instead adhering to a linear power-pop modus operandi.  Loosely in league with the likes of the Spongetones and Romantics (but really exhibiting a more pedestrian bent than either) these chaps were most effective when they indulged in the vibrant power chord splay of "I Feel Good" and "Too Many Things."  The going gets a little too optimistic on the feel-good concluding cut, "I Love Living," but I guess it beats misery.

01. The First Step
02. Too Many Things
03. One More Time
04. I Feel Good (Hey So)
05. Song for Darryl
06. Ginny Mae
07. I Love Living

**The download link has been removed by request of the artist.**

Regarding Zippyshare in accessibility in Britain.

I meant to post something regarding this matter last week, but had really hope it has been resolved.  My file-hoster of choice, Zippyshare is apparently blocking access to users in the UK without having provided any explanation.  Initially, when this matter was brought to my attention last week it was reported that Zippyshare was blocked by Britain's largest service providers: Sky, BT, Vodafone and Virgin.  Per a recent article on TechNadu however, Zippyshare itself is denying access to download links.  Frustratingly, there has been no official statement from Zippyshare HQ.  Upon arrival to the site through one of my download links, readers are greeted with a "403 Forbidden" error, or something to that effect.  Thus far I have learned of two potential workarounds.

1) Access Wilfuly Obscure thorough a proxy server.  One that some visitors have had success with is: 

https://www.hidemyass-freeproxy.com/proxy/en-ww/aHR0cDovL3dpbGZ1bGx5b2JzY3VyZS5ibG9nc3BvdC5jb20

2) Go though a virtual private network (VPN).  I don't really understand the mechanics of VPNs or how to establish one, so if you are as new to this concept as I am, please poke around the web for a better explanation/tutorial.

If you're in Britain, please keep me posted if anything develops on his matter.  Additionally I will look into the possibility of changing file hosters, however I've already made migrations from two others that have gone dark, Radpidshare and Netkups, and as you might imagine with the amount of content on W/O I am reluctant to go down that road again. My apologies for any inconveniences. 

Looking for the house that dad built.

Pristine, melodically endowed jangle 'n strum greatness from 1989.

**Please do not reveal artist in comments!**

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The Garden Path - 5 Reasons (1986, Greasy)

Here's another gem of a record that I don't own the physical vinyl of...but I'm working on it.  Adelaide, Australia was home base for The Garden Path, a sterling indie pop five-piece who recording for the equally sterling and rewarding Greasy Pop imprint.  Regarding their debut, 5 Reasons, it wouldn't be a stretch to imagine that these guys had encountered a Rain Parade or Dream Syndicate record or two.  Their psych-inclinations, while evident, aren't heavy handed, and like home-country contemporaries done good, the Church, the Garden Path aren't maneuvering for any cloying throwbacks to the the sixties (though I have to admit, the keyboards augmenting "What Do You Want to Hear" faintly exude a farfisa organ).  A balance of subtly and dynamics characterize 5 Reasons, and I'm curious as to how they progressed on subsequent releases.  A double CD archive of their recordings, Take it All Back, was released in 2011 and appears to be sold out.  After the jump, take a gander at TGP taking on the Soft Boys "Kingdom of Love," and executing it with as much perfection as the original.




01. This Place
02. Into the Clouds
03. Times (Out of Mind)
04. 5 Reasons
05. What Do You Want to Hear
06. Strangers
07. 5000 Miles
08. Little Pieces

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Episode I - Young and in Debt (1987, Bam Boo)

Up for a new wave cold case?  Here's yet another record that I'm only fortunate enough to possess files of, so I don't even have something as basic  a back cover to refer to.  Episode I's seemingly lone album has a supposed issue date of 1987, but the accoutrements this outfit (presumably a duo) employed strike me as being backdated by a good four or five years.  Anyway, these guys plucked out a raft of synthy 80's affectations like they were going out of style (true that).  They had a couple of saving graces.  First, they didn't go overboard on any particular tune, but better yet they actually came up with a few genuinely memorable ditties - "Maggie," "America Loves You," "Time After Time," among others.  Heightened pop sensibilities abound, albeit nothing slick - which is just the way I happen to like it.  Enjoy (you will).

01. Guido
02. Time After Time
03. Favourite God
04. Ecstasy
05. Equal Balance
06. America LovesYou
07. Calling Day-o
08. Maggie
09. Brotherhood
10. Lastsongsecondside

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You're exploding everywhere.

From 2004.  Sounds like these guys were channeling Guided by Voices, say Mag Earwig-era.

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Cockeyed Ghost/Adam Marsland - Rarities Vol. 1

The name Cockeyed Ghost might ring a bell if you took a liking to a bevy of fresh-faced power pop acts emanating from the Los Angeles-era circa the mid-90s like the Wondermints, Baby Lemonade, The Negro Problem and The Sugarplastic among a dozen or so others.  Starting in 1996, four Cockeyed Ghost albums came, and sadly largely went without much fanfare, but it wasn't for lack of trying or competence.  CG weren't the monochromatic, three chord variation on power pop that was all too ubiquitous back then, thanks to frontman Adam Marsland, an adept singer songwriter who wielded sophisticated motifs, layered arrangements and a dynamic vocal range to boot.  After pursuing multiple Cockeyed Ghost lineups, Adam launched a solo venture in earnest the next decade, yielding diverse and often visceral records like You Don't Know Me, Go West, and The Owl and the Full Moon.

By the late-90s he had already racked up a significant body of work, so much so that all of it couldn't be corralled onto proper albums.  Two compilations of unreleased and under-released CG (and related) songs were issued as limited edition CD-Rs and made available through his website.  Today I'm presenting Rarities Vol. 1.  Copious and informative liner notes accompany the album, all of which I've scanned in with the artwork, but if you're looking for a shortcut, here's a little synopsis of what's on here.

Oddly enough, CG Rarities Vol. 1 doesn't delve straight into Cockeyed Ghost jams, rather Marsland's preceding endeavor, Adam Marsland's Band, who were responsible for a short run of local tapes and ep's in the early 90s.  Some of the six AMB nuggets featured are the ambitious "Here Comes Eric," the rather rockin' "A Manner of Speaking," and the slick but sublime ballad "Where's My Heart."  Even from the get-go Marsland had a deep-seated penchant for harmonies, and the hooks, while present, would be evidenced exponentially in the not-too-distant-future.

Two respectable. albeit finely polished solo recordings from 1993, "The Empty Room" and "Do Something" follow next.  After that it's an album's worth of scarce Cockeyed Ghost goodies, including some of the band's earliest studio attempts, including punky riff rocker "Cut and Run," the melancholic "Leave Her Alone" and Get Me Out of Here," a demo of Keep Yourself Amused's "Keep the Sun" and a Japanese-sung version of "Special," a tune which originally appeared on CG's 1997 album Neverest.  Faithful renditions of Badfinger's should-have-been classic ballad "Name of the Game" and the Raspberries "If You Change Your Mind" also make an appearance.  The set concludes with Adam's solo acoustic take of "Falling Down the Hill," yet another deep album track.

If you enjoy what you were hear, lay your ears on some of the proper Cockeyed Ghost albums. I'm afraid CG don't have much of a presence on Spotify, but some of his solo albums do, and there's always his homepage's store where physical CDs and such can be purchased including his latest, Bulé.

The last I heard, Adam was traipsing around some exotic outpost in the eastern hemisphere.  Perhaps you can get a feel for what he's been up to here. 

Adam Marsland's Band (1991-93)
01. Here Comes Eric
02. Young + Stupid
03. Don't Laugh at How I Feel
04. Where's My Heart
05. Talking About Myself
06. A Manner of Speaking

Adam Marsland (1993)
07. The Empty Room
08. Do Something

Cockeyed Ghost (1994-98)
09. If You Change Your Mind
10. Cut and Run
11. Love, Art and War
12. Get Me Out of Here
13. La La La La La La (Manic 5-0)
14. Leave Her Alone
15. Keep the Sun
16. Name of the Game
17. Someone You Know
18. Special (Japanese)
19. Falling Down the Hill (Adam acoustic)

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Orbits - Q: What...Ans: Nothing (1981, Electric Eye)

Contrary to the album title, Boston's Orbits don't pose many a question on this album, and certainly nothing deep.  No, any such lofty ruminations weren't on their agenda by a long-shot.  Upbeat power-pop was their game, and they executed it with near rapturous enthusiasm and aplomb.  Q: What...Ans: Nothing is considerably more fun than what I usually vend you...and I make no apologies for it. It's a record that comes from a similar place as '80s Cheap Trick, The Producers, and maybe even a dash of the Bay City Rollers.  Gotta love those patented, wonky synth lines wedging their way in intermittently too.  A video exists for "Rear View Mirror," and I'd love to know if MTV aired it at some ungodly hour of the morning in their first year or so on the air.

01. Rear View Mirror
02. Brand New Beat
03. Slow Motion
04. Rockette
05. 7 Digits
06. Sensors
07. Atomic Love
08. It's a Surprise

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I come fully loaded with an option to buy...

Four eps from four disparate artists, falling between the years 1991 and 2016.  Total satisfaction absolutely guaranteed.

**Please do not reveal artists in comments!**

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V/A 3X4 - featuring The Bangles, The Three O' Clock, Rain Parade and Dream Syndicate (Yep Rock, 2019) - A brief review.

Dare I say this is one music scene who've literally decided to celebrate themselves?   For the uninitiated, Rain Parade, The Dream Syndicate, The Three O' Clock and The Bangles were not only considerable entities unto themselves, they composed a four-cornered vanguard in the mid-80s that was routinely referred to as the Paisley Underground.  There were several other minor players hovering on the fringes, but this quartet of bands were the ambassadors of an oft-underexposed mini-movement predominantly native to the Los Angeles-area.  While each of these aggregations had a distinct panache you might say all of the aforementioned majored in jangly, collegiate-level pop with a discernible minor in the more graceful facets of '60s psych.  Nothing too esoteric for the palette, mind you, as the Three O' Clock were wont to double dip oars in New Romantic waters, and as for the Bangles (initially The Bangs) the rest is rock and roll history.

A good thirty to 35 years has passed since the heyday of these artists, so what gives with this crash course in Paisley you might ask?  Well, December 2013 saw the reunion of all four bands for two nights in L.A. and San Francisco.  For all groups involved, not to mention established fans, it was a reminder of just how tight-knit this collective was back in the day.  The venture turned out to be significantly more than a mere nostalgia trip.  In the intervening years since, the Dream Syndicate and Bangles carried on in earnest, but something must have felt unfinished, for in 2018 all four combos found themselves smooshed together in the same king sized bed for yet another reunion in the guise of 3X4.

The premise of the 3X4 is a simple enough one, wherein each of the Paisley cornerstones takes to task one song apiece from their other three contemporaries.  The Bangles cover tunes by Rain Parade, the Syndicate and Three O' Clock, and the other groups follow likewise.  For you lucky ducklings who fancy themselves as aficionados of all four bands, or even those who've developed an appreciation of even just two or three this is a record that quite literally sells itself, not only by virtue of it's participants, but by the volley of long-endeared songs 3X4 unfurls like a new set of Venetian blinds.  On tap is a veritable Paisley hit parade with the Three O'Clock tackling the Dream Syndicate's signature "Tell Me When It's Over" and the Rain Parade's masterstroke, "What She's Done to Your Mind."  The Bangles turn in a reverent version of the Three O' Clock's timeless "Jet Fighter," the Syndicate wield an unlikely reading of the Bangles' "Hero Take a Fall," while Rain Parade do adequate justice to another Bangles classic, "Real World."  And that's only the half of what's in store here.

A couple of quick overarching observations.  Few if any of these covers outdo the original recordings.  No one is reinventing the wheel here, nor is anyone trying to 'best' or even challenge one another.  Instead, 3X4 is a project born out of sheer respect and mutual admiration.  Bearing this in mind, the album's casual, relaxed-fit tenor is wholly appropriate.  Secondly, if you're going into this one cold, you'll find 3X4 pleasant at the very least, but it would behoove you to have some familiarity with Paisley touchstones like the Dream Syndicate's Days of Wine and Roses, Rain Parade's Emergency Third Rail Power Trip, and the first couple of Three O' Clock records.

3X4 was issued in a brief run as a physical release for Black Friday Record Store Day last year, and has recently been made available in wider circulation both digitally and in tangible formats.  Yep Rock Records can serve you straight from the tap, and Amazon and iTunes also have you covered.

The Daisies - Kowloon House (1995, I.R.S.)

Despite having ties to a fairly prominent indie label, I.R.S., I hadn't been exposed to The Daisies until just a few years ago.  Typically, given their stature and era there is little more than a Soundcloud page I can refer you to.  This quartet from I-don't-know-where existed at the height of the "alternative" epoch, but don't sound like a deliberate product of it.  Kowloon House is heavy on ballads, but thankfully not the 'power' variation thereof.  The overall effect is akin to a more economic Gin Blossoms, but that's a vague comparison at best.  Truth be told the Daisies were a helluva lot more effective when they cranked their collective amps on the power chord-laced title track, "Aeroplane Day" and "Day Spent."  Signposts occasionally veer towards the Lemonheads (say, It's a Shame... era) and another splendid contemporary of theirs, Small 23.  An ep and a couple singles surrounded this album.

01. Aeroplane Day
02. Sunday Drivers
03. Day Spent
04. Dog
05. New French Ballad
06. Everything Comes to Nothing
07. She's All Mine
08. Kowloon House
09. Milk Out of Grass
10. Chocolate
11. Purple & Green
12. Another Good Reason Not To Be A Star

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No clue.

From 2005, but I won't give much else away about this album.

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L.E.S.R. - s/t ep (1984, L.E.S.)

Yet another lost cause when it comes to surveying pertinent info on Google, but a sheer treat for the ears.  The seemingly background-less L.E.S.R. (no, I don't have a clue as to what their acronym references) were your basic four-piece set up: vox/gits/bass/drums, who probably had a bevy of obvious accusations leveled at them back in the day - rootsy bar rock, power pop, and perhaps more inaccurately, even rockabilly.  No need to fret over cataloging this NYC quartet, because their searing strain of saucy, no frills rock was effective as-all-get-out.  Call 'em a more pedestrian Flamin' Groovies if you will, or perhaps a succinct foreshadowing of what the Georgia Satellites would ride into the top-ten in a couple years  Whatever the case, L.E.S.R. made a devastating case for themselves inside of 600 seconds or so. 

01. Ain't Got the Money
02. 166 Norfolk
03. Sane
04. Jealousy

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Beat Feet - One Hundred Places (1986, Aegean)

This one is almost worthy of a Chanukah upload, even if it's not an out-and-out revelation.  Truth be told, Beat Feet are something of a cold case, with virtually no pertinent info available online, other than a potential home base of Brimingham, AL.  One Hundred Places appears to be their only wax, and it's shame, because this quartet craft some impeccably sublime, jangle-enhanced power pop with just enough forward-thinking acuity to not only maintain my interest over the course of this mini-album but to absolutely crave more.  Their somewhat frivolous moniker belies keen creative angularities on "She's on Time" and "Leaders" recalling Velvet Crush precursors Choo Choo Train, and Matthew Sweet's pre-solo venture Buzz of Delight.  Stunning hooks abound virtually wherever the needle drops on this platter, and you get the feeling Beat Feat cut their teeth on the likes of the dB's more so than say, the Knack or Raspberries.  One Hundred... closes out with an unlisted live track, and an uncharacteristic one at that, wherein the band shifts into uninhabited, punk-cum-metal overdrive.

01. I Should Have Known
02. Come When I Say
03. We Walk Tonight
04. A Place For Me
05. She's on Time
06. Leaders
07. Go Unafraid
08. untitled

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Heaven sent her so complete, I dropped my TV in the street. I didn't even care.

From 2004.  There isn't a moment of this album that I don't enjoy.

**Please do not reveal artist in comments!**

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X-15 - Blueprint (1982, Precision)

When I started this site umpteenth years ago, it wasn't exactly my intention to feature albums housing such mundane titles as "Baby Hold On" and "You're So Cruel."  But what if a record existed with the aforementioned tunes that wasn't so vapid or generic?  While not full fledged power-pop or pub rock or barely ever edging into punk terrain, X-15 are a rare exception to the rule.  Admittedly, ya'll AOR fetishists in the house will find a trove to drool over with this one, but this Pittsburgh six-piece seemed to chow at the more credible end of the hard rock trough.  Think early Greg Kihn, the first Loverboy album, Clocks, and at times even Hard Promises-era Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers.  X-15 were hardly long on innovation, but potent, hard-driving daggers like "Danger Zone" and "Give Me Your Love," not to mention the utterly arresting, mid-tempo "Is it Him," make a persuasive case nonetheless.

01. Is it Him
02. Danger Zone
03. Give Me Your Love
04. Second Hand love
05. Jennifer
06. All the Time
07. You're So Cruel
08. Waiting Tonight
09. Cold Shivers
10. Baby Hold On

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Lung Overcoat - Climbing Up the Hill ep (1986, Scolex)

You say you've never heard of a band from San Antonio, TX?  You have now, and as luck would have it they were a good one.  Meet Lung Overcoat, new wave denizens from the Lone Star state who oozed copious loads of promise on this four songer.  Perhaps these youngsters didn't lob the beefiest hooks on the block, but Climbing Up the Hill is an ambitious mofo of a record with dense arrangements and subtly veiled socio-political themes that plot these cats wiser than their collective 80 years... or so it would seem anyway.  At times Overcoat pitched in the direction of a less danceable Duran or Japan, yet were inflicted with just enough artful maneuvers and post-punk inclinations to keep them from taking the pedestrian plunge.  "Life in Holes" is my pick of this all too brief litter.  Check out In Depth Music Blog's excursion into the guys, with all kinds of tasty YouTube linkage and such. 

01. Sickroom
02. Voice in the Box
03. Life in Holes
04. When Dreams Drag On

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Soul Asylum - While You Were Out/Clam Dip... (1986/1988, Twin/Tone, 2019, Omnivore) - A brief review.

Of all the high pedigree indie-rock bands to spill a little ink on a major label recording contract in the late '80s and '90s, Soul Asylum's back catalog seems to be one of the most neglected and un-examined.  I'm not referring to availability, as Twin/Tone's distribution arm had decent outreach, making their presence felt in plenty of Sam Goody's and such, but given the sizable breakout success of Grave Dancer's Union in 1992/93, you'd think newfound S/A fans would have felt some nagging urge to backtrack and find out if the spate of five proper albums that preceded it would've stimulated them.  Then again, Say What You Will Clarence, Made to be Broken, While You Were Out, Hang Time, and ...the Horse They Road in On weren't exactly chockablock with contemplative ballads in the mold of "Runaway Train."

So yeah, Dave Pirner & Co's "Sony years" were demonstrably more consistent with the aforementioned GDU and subsequent Let Your Dim Light Shine and Candy From a Stranger ebbing and flowing on a more linear, and dare I say conservative course.  Par for the course when punks sign to majors - the odd feathers get plucked, sometimes a lot quicker than even the most devoted fanboy expects.  While You Were Out was Asylum's last indie hurrah, and although I'll never fault them for making the leap, the irony is Mpls' little quartet that could had already made a quantum stride between their raucous, wet-behind-the-ears '84 debut Say What You Will Clarence to the largely more tuneful and occasionally disciplined Made to Be Broken a year later.  Those two album were the focus of nicely bonus-ized reissues in late 2018, and now 1986's While You Were Out is seeing a similar overhaul, with the subsequent Clam Dip and Other Delights ep hitching a ride with some totally unreleased material. 

What made Soul Asylum so effective was their ability to emanate character without any one member of the band being a character themselves.  Never was this facet more evident than in the band's nascent, pre-Grave Dancers era.  The secret sauce constituting albums like WYWO were the congested, frenetic arrangements of it's creators, frontman Pirner, Dan Murphy on guitar, the late Karl Mueller on bass, and thrashy as-all-get-out drummer Grant Young.  "Carry On," "Crashing Down" and "Miracle Mile" all bear the punky, ramshackle tincture of their Replacements-informed roots, but by this album Asylum's rambunctiousness was tempered by something resembling melody and/or restraint.  And the hooks get downright heady on "Closer to the Stars," a near-anthem of their early years, wherein thoughtful and vaguely philosophical notions made their way into the quartet's wooly mix.  The relaxed-fit "Passing Sad Daydream" is a corny ballad that closes the record out in typically sardonic S/A fashion.  Albeit not entirely consistent, While You Were Out is still overflowing with highlights, many outdoing the cream of the crop on Made to Be Broken.

Soul Asylum were clearly on a roll - one that perpetuated through their first major label outing, Hang Time.  '88s Clam Dip and Other Delights ep isn't necessarily part of that volley, as it were, given it wasn't a proper album.  Instead, the six-song hodgepodge with the spot-on Herb Alpert and Tijuana Brass album jacket parody is a collection of loosely executed covers and some outtakes yielding jovial but mixed results.  One of the standouts, "Chains," was originally the invention of another Minneapolis act, The Wad, that Soul Asylum keenly transform into an essential missing link of their own.  There were two versions of Clam Dip making the rounds, depending on what side of the Atlantic you obtained it on, but Omnivore's reissue includes all the songs from both incarnations.  Four Twin/Tone-era outtakes conclude the CD incarnation of the reissue.  While You Were Out and an expanded version of Clam Dip are available separately on vinyl.  Physical versions are available now straight from Omnivore, and Amazon has you covered as well.

Snow on the ground and a chill in the air...

From 1992.  The magnum opus from this UK act that were thankfully not part and parcel of the Britpop movement.  This is the import edition with two extra tracks.

**Please do not reveal artist in comments!**

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Rex Daisy - tape (1992)

This bygone combo from the suburbs of the Twin Cities offered express delivery to the same power pop sweet spot contemporaries The Rembrandts, Velvet Crush and Greenberry Woods more famously made the same destination to.  The quartet known as Rex Daisy wasted nary a second on this three song demo, a preface to their Guys and Dolls album.  Word has it they even seized a major label deal at one point but had the proverbial rug pulled out from under them.  For shame, because they boasted excellent material.  If you dig these numbers the aforementioned album is available on Amazon streaming and downloads and iTunes.

01. Bottom o' the World
02. Stuck on AM
03. La La Land

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