Hearing the wall-eyed melangé of surf riffs, pop sniffles, end-of-the-world shrieks, and the cracked harmonies of Black Francis and Kim Deal is always a treat.
They infuse the standard flat-footed indie-rock beat with an ineffable sense of motion that rides a pale groove without grafting on an ill-fitting negri ‘tude.
These are the extra tracks Suede included on their European singles from 1992-97, all of which are every bit the equal of those found on the albums proper.
For years, the ultimate in alternate sources of power, only to suffer slings and arrows unimaginable when they signed onto the label the Knack recorded for.
Big, cracked-crystal pop songs with as many noises crammed in as a Sonic Youth or a Hendrix record, but with a steady eye on the perfection of the landscape.
A sustained burst of tonal improv, with the ubiquitous Jim O’Rourke on hand, which pulsate with ionic radio wave-bursts, trumpet bleats and near-ambient drifts.
The relentless barrage of bleak symbolism and stylized squalor can get a tad wearying in a single sitting, but you’re unlikely to find better all in one place.
Both punkier in its cynicism (“Know Your Product,” “This Perfect Day”) and slicker in its approach, using full horn sections and more ambitious arrangements.
“Baby Baby” and “London Girls,” from this pseudo-greatest hits collection, are straightforward, unabashed love songs, more Dave Clark Five than Buzzcocks.
One of the most beloved indie bands of our era, their early singles created the template that other bands and entire labels (like K) would take for their own.