Smile

A pairing of 's first two EPs, is a batch of eight muddy, shambling wrecks that run dangerously close to obscuring great songs. In fact, much of makes 's blurry sound as polished as a record. What makes the tunes remarkable is the spirit of the band, along with a complementary mix. The band probably knew exactly what they were doing, but wanted to sound clueless. It's the sound of four art students losing themselves in their record collections, wanting to sound naive and fresh but well-studied. sounds like he couldn't sing to save his life on but it's no matter. The relentless rush of 's drums and distorted guitars of and carry the song, topped off by a nifty wah-wah climax. Though the mid-tempo, chugging could be taken literally, it could double as a metaphor for throwing oneself headlong into a relationship -- closing your eyes and not caring if a brick wall or cliff is up a mile ahead. The remainder is filled out with sticky riffs and melodies which avoid sounding like the standard fair. It sounds a bit amateurish, and hadn't quite found their footing vocally. Nonetheless, brought something new to the table, and the U.K. audience and more adventurous U.S. fans clutched onto the sound for dear life. Rightfully so. [Oddly, 's mastering comes from the vinyl versions of the EPs. If you can track down the CD versions of the EPs separately, you'll notice a difference in quality. Also, the disc was remastered and reissued by in the U.K. in 2001; unlike the other releases in the campaign, the new version has no bonuses.] ~ Andy Kellman