Seaweed - Beasides

I've had a full week to get my act together and rip some new (or more accurately, used) vinyl...but alas, I never got around to it.  Which is why I had to scrounge something up from my hard drive, specifically a fan-made compilation of b-sides and rarities from Tacoma WA's finest sons, Seaweed.  Over the course of five albums Adam Stauffer and Co. were an integral staple of my '90s soundtrack, bearing a distinctive roar that was never quite punk or grunge, but easily appealed to both sensibilities.  Adroit masters of the two minute form, they parlayed the buzz built-up on Sub Pop concoctions Weak and Four, and miraculously, when they took the major plunge for 1995's Spanaway they delivered on said accumulated promise in a monstrous way.  Seaweed were one of those rare beasts that rarely if ever exuded a misstep. 

As far as this somewhat haphazard collection is concerned it is presented somewhat chronologically, and for better or worse is chockablock with covers.  Yes, they pursue Fleetwood Mac's most overplayed hit, but they compensate for it with excellent readings of songs that Beat Happening, The Fastbacks, Jonathan Richman, and even hardcore cult legends The Dehumanizers.  Weak's "Squint" is subjected to a radical remix, while "Losing Skin" is massaged much more subtly, skewing closer to it's original incarnation. And there's plenty more gold to boot.  A big shout out to whomever curated this collection. 

01. Bewitched (Beat Happnening)

02. Foggy Eyes (Beat Happnening)

03. Measure

04. Turnout

05. Taxing (demo)

06. Baggage (demo)

07. Pumpkin (Wwax)

08. Squint - The Killerest Expression

09. Go Your Own Way

10. Losing Skin (remix)

11. She Cracked (Jonathan Richman)

12. Kid Candy (radio edit)

13. Sing Thorugh Me (The Dehumanizers)

14. Shephard's Pie

15. My Letters (The Fastbacks)

16. Brand New Order

17. Days Missed Dearly

Hear