This is an exceptionally good week for new releases here in Indie Basement with three terrific albums: The Besnard Lakes don’t talk about the weather, they are the weather on LP #6; The Notwist return with their best album in nearly two decades; and Goat Girl up their game on their second album. Plus: Lilys reissue one of their most sought-after releases, and a new record from The Reds, Pinks & Purples (Glenn Donaldson of Skygreen Leopards).

Need more of this week’s reviews? Andrew reviews Arlo Parks, Portrayal of Guilt, Madlib/Four Tet, and more in Notable Releases. For more Basement-approved stuff from the week there’s: promising new Manchester band Gary, Indiana; members of The Pooh Sticks and Heavenly formed tongue-in-cheek group Swansea Sound; Quilt’s Anna Fox Rochinski has a solo album on the way; The Chills just announced their seventh album; and Billy Nomates is already back with a new EP.

Head below for this week’s reviews.

ALBUM OF THE WEEK #1: The Besnard Lakes – Are the Last of the Great Thunderstorm Warnings (FatCat)
Few bands do “epic” as well as this Montreal six-piece, and they are in especially fine form here

It’s been five years, almost to the day, since The Besnard Lakes‘ last album, A Coliseum Complex Museum. That’s a long time but that’s also okay. The Montreal band have such a distinctive sound that if albums came along more regularly, they might not seem as special as they are. Jace Lasek and Olga Goleas, and the rest of the six-member lineup, create magisterial rock made of layer upon layer of guitar, vintage synthesizers, crashing drums, rumbling bass, and gorgeous harmonies led by Lasek’s otherworldly falsetto. Space Rock is the perfect descriptor for what The Besnard Lakes do, as their music is like footage of a rocket launch — it seems like it’s in slow-motion, but it’s not and you can feel the power behind the thrusters and afterburners. Even the quiet moments sound like they were recorded in a planetarium and their album titles tower, written as full sentences with the band as the subject.

The Besnard Lakes Are the Last Great Thunderstorm Warnings is the band’s sixth album and grandest statement yet, a 72-minute opus on “the darkness of death and the light on the other side.” The four sides of the vinyl — titled “Near Death,” “Death,” “After Death,” and “Life” — bear that out and Jase has said the record was largely influenced by the death of his father in 2019, but also Prince and Talk Talk’s Mark Hollis. You can definitely feel Hollis’ influence in The Besnard Lakes and Thunderstorm Warnings has the most headroom of any of their albums, with a few tracks descending into warm, ambient drone (see the 17-minute title track which closes things). Specifically, album highlight “Raindrops” tips its hat to Hollis, with Jase wondering “Is my backyard Garden of Eden spirited?” Prince’s tribute is “The Father of Time Wakes Up,” complete with an extended, soaring guitar solo.

You can also see the album’s concept as a band allegory with their many ups and downs. After years on Jagjaguwar, Besnard Lakes and the label parted ways; now on FatCat the group say it was their love of each other and playing together that was what really made the record happen. That may be a press release line, but anyone who’s seen the band play live knows there is truth in there, and they haven’t sounded this inspired since The Besnard Lakes Are the Roaring Night. Songs interlock, joined by those spacey drones and orchestration that, like the band themselves, push just to the edge of over-the-top and then ride the crest. Spiraling rock tracks have been their signature since the start and “Our Heads, Our Hearts on Fire Again” is one of their best, but the title track climbs the highest, and when you think they’ve reached the peak they keep going, finally escaping the atmosphere, sailing through the vacuum of space for another 10 minutes. “When me and moon will talk, no one else around will breathe,” Jase sings, “And I’m lost on the broadway of my mind.”

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ALBUM OF THE WEEK #2: The Notwist – Vertigo Days
Special collaborations enliven the long-running German band’s most satisfying album since ‘Neon Golden’

Vertigo Days is The Notwist‘s first proper album in seven years, and finds core members Markus and Micha Acher and Cico Beck collaborating with a variety of musicians, including Juana Molina, Ben LaMar Gay, Angel Bat Dawid, Saya of Tenniscoats, and Japanese brass ensemble Zayaendo. “We wanted to question the concept of a band by adding other voices and ideas, other languages, and also question or blur the idea of national identity,” Markus said when the album was announced. COVID lockdown inspired this partially, with the group sending out tracks and song fragments, telling their collaborators to do with them as they pleased. Some came back inspiring more work, while others were deemed good to go.

Even though there are a lot of creative voices present, Vertigo Days is a cohesive album — “one long poem” Markus calls it — with tracks seamlessly flowing into one another, often spectacularly like when the dreamy “Where You Find Me” segues perfectly into dubby komische jam “Ship” which features Tenniscoats’ Saya and is one of the album’s many standouts. Saya and Markus’ voices sound so good together, you almost wish there could be a whole album of this, But that would mean we wouldn’t get songs like “Al Sur,” the percussion-powered tropical storm of drony electronics featuring Juana Molina, or the woozy “Oh Sweet Fire” where collaborator Ben LaMar Gay offers “a love lyric for these times, imagining two lovers in an uprising hand in hand” with the “sound of drums reflecting off buildings, as high as the fist that has risen.”

There are plenty of classic Notwist style songs, too. Sampled voices gently power “Where You Find Me,” one of their signature blendings of quiet romance and glitch, while “Exit Strategy to Myself” blasts the kind of thick organ and hypnotic guitar strum-und-drang that Stereolab would be jealous of. Then there are tracks, like the vibraphone-and-clarinet-driven “Ghost,” that are uncharted territory found within The Notwist’s world. This new collaborative spirit clearly lit a spark in the band, and Vertigo Days is their most satisfying since Neon Golden, sounding both familiar and brand new. Few bands entering their fourth decade together can say the same.

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ALBUM OF THE WEEK #3: Goat Girl – On All Fours (Rough Trade)
London band get more playful, musically, and better all around on their second album

Both Fontaines D.C. and Shame managed to avoid the sophomore slump recently with their new albums, and add to that list London’s Goat Girl  who do so with the most panache of all of them. On All Fours is a marked improvement over the very good 2018 debut, with the band heading in distinct new directions while still retaining their unique sound. Not easy to do. The band once again worked with producer Dan Carey who encouraged them to explore electronics, lending them his MPC unit as well as his studio to use as a rehearsal space so they could experiment with playing along to loops and drum machines, and to find new rhythms. “Dan shoved some boxes of percussion in the middle of the room and asked us just to grab something and play along to a track spontaneously together,” new bassist Holy Hole told us. “It was a quickfire process, which allowed us to think outside the box without second guessing.”

The process didn’t dramatically change Goat Girl’s sound, but it’s instantly notable. While their songs still have swagger, they are punchier and poppier, with a decidedly jazzier groove and a lot more going on in the arrangements. Synthesizers percolate just below the surface of most songs, like the rolling arpeggiations on opener “Pest,” the kitschy faux horns of “PTS Tea,” the almost house-y chords of “Sad Cowboy,” and the distinctive swells of Carey’s Swarmatron on the appealing and at times very weird single “Badibaba.” It all works with the band’s already well-defined melodic style, close harmonies and, in particular, Clottie Cream’s smoky vocals.

The sound is a little smoother this time out, but there is still plenty of attitude. “I have no shame when I say step the fuck away,” Lottie sings on “Pest,” while “They Bite You” equates capitalism with parasitic insects. More songs, though, look inward, like the pretty, understated “Anxiety Feels.” The most impressive song on On All Fours, though, is “The Crack,” which marries the woozy, guitar-y vibe of their debut and their new dancier direction to a tale of Mother Earth course-correcting against all that has been done to it, ready to swallow us whole and start again. It’s pointed and thoughtful and, as the old American Bandstand cliche goes, it’s got a good beat you can dance to. It also gives hope, as does the whole of this record, for what Goat Girl will do on their third album, if Mother Earth lets us get that far.

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Lilys – A Brief History of Amazing Letdowns vinyl reissue (Frontier)
Lilys’ reissue campaign continues with one of the group’s most sought-after records, now in expanded form.

It’s a good time to be a Lilys fan, especially if you’re one who’s always wanted their records on vinyl but have been dismayed at the insane prices of used originals on sites like Discogs, or the fact that some of them were only released on CD. The band’s excellent 1999 album, The 3-Way, is getting its first-ever vinyl pressing, and now they’ve just announced a reissue of 1994 EP A Brief History of Amazing Letdowns which made our list of Best Shoegaze EPs of the Early ’90s:

Kurt Heasley has reinvented Lilys a few times over the last 30 years, but the group began as noisy indie rockers who pulled equally from late-’80s Creation Records and Dinosaur Jr’s freak scene. This wonderfully titled EP has some of Lilys’ catchiest songs, including “Ginger” (which inexplicably ended up getting used in a 2007 Cadillac commercial), “Any Place I’ve Lived” and “Jenny, Andrew and Me.” It’s one of their best releases and, sadly, also one of the rarest…out of print, not on streaming services, and used copies are hard to come by.

Not only is Brief History getting a much-needed reissue, it’s also coming to us in expanded form. It was originally released on 10″ vinyl and CD which shared the same main five songs — including “Ginger” and “Any Place I’ve Lived” — and then each had a sixth track exclusive to the two formats. This new reissue puts the original five on one side, and then on the second adds four songs that were recorded in 1994 but not released till 2000 as one side of a split EP with Aspera Ad Astra, plus a previously unreleased song, “G. Cobalt Franklin.” “Glossender,” the original last song on the vinyl, is here as a digital bonus track, but CD track “Evel Knievel” has been lost to the ages (or at least YouTube). You can pre-order it here.

For more on these reissues and more (a lot more), read our interview with Lilys main man Kurt Heasley. Vinyl copies of A Brief History of Amazing Letdowns will likely move quick and probably sell out, but at least you’ll soon be able to officially stream it. For now, checkout “G. Cobalt Franklin”:

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The Reds, Pinks & Purples – “Don’t Ever Pray In The Church on My Street”
Glenn Donaldson of Skygreen Leopards and Art Museums is gearing to release his third album of charming DIY guitar pop under this colorful guise

Glenn Donaldson, who founded San Francisco’s Skygreen Leopards (as well as the shortlived but excellent Art Museums) has been busy lately with a few projects. He and Woods’ Jeremy Earl have a record coming out as Painted Shrines in March, and then in April he’ll release Uncommon Weather, the third album with his kitchen sink solo project The Reds, Pinks & Purples.

His love of DIY punk and indiepop that manifested itself so brilliantly in the Art Museums shows itself again here, though more in a swoony pop way. The first single is the album’s opening cut, “Don’t Ever Pray in the Church on My Street,” which falls somewhere between The Clean and The Cleaners from Venus and should make any Indie Basement reader want to click “buy” or at least “play” immediately. It’s terrific:

Uncommon Weather is out April 9 via Slumberland.

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Looking for more? Browse the Indie Basement archives.

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Top 20 Shoegaze EPs of the Early-’90s

20. Bleach – Snag (1991, Way Cool Records)

Formed by brothers Neil and Nick Singleton, Ipswich, UK's Bleach unfortunately ran out of songwriting steam before they released their first album. (Hey, it happens, just ask Elastica.) The band managed to deliver one terrific EP that showcased their moody style, with guitarist Neil providing the haze and bassist Nick providing the mood. Like a lot of shoegaze groups of this era, singer Salli Carson's ethereal vocals seemed more like an equal element of Bleached's sound, as opposed to a focal point. "Bethesda," with its tom-heavy drumming is especially good, as is "Dipping." Extended listening: the cover art is the most distinctive thing about Bleach's 1992 album Killing Time, but it's the only one of their releases on streaming services.

19. Medicine – 5ive (1993, Creation)

Led by Brad Laner, who spent time in the '80s in L.A. cult post-punk band Savage Republic, Medicine were arguably the U.S.'s best shoegaze band, with a firm grip on melody, noise and dynamics, and they weren't afraid of sampling or dance culture. They also had rare bonafides for an American band; they were signed to Creation in the UK. (Rick Rubin's American Recordings put out their records at home.) The 5ive EP, also known as Come Here to Drink Milk, takes the tremolo-heavy title track (originally on their debut album) and pairs it with the ragged version of "Time Baby" (not the version with Liz Fraser & Robin Guthrie), searing slow jam "Lime 6," and the quasi-industrial "Wrought." Extended listening: The Sounds of Medicine EP has the Cocteau-ized version of "Time Baby" from The Crow soundtrack, plus "stripped and reformed" versions of other songs, but the 1993 sophomore album The Buried Life is Medicine at their best.

18. The Telescopes – Flying (1991, Creation)

Having got their start in the mid-'80s, The Telescopes predate shoegaze but were part of the dark neo-psych scene that included Spacemen 3 and Loop (who they shared a split 7" with in 1988). By their fourth EP for Creation, 1990's Flying, The Telescopes had blasted off most of the white noise in favor of groovy psychedelia that put them somewhere between The Stone Roses and Ride, but frontman Stephen Lawrie was always on his own sonic plane. With layers of 12-string guitars -- acoustic and electric -- Flying's title track is one of their best pop songs, while "High on Fire" heads deep into outer space and "The Sleepwalk" showed they could confidently compete with their Creation labelmates that were getting much more ink in NME. Extended listening: 1990's Celeste EP features an amazing 10-minute version of the title track that's worth the price of admission.

17. Blind Mr. Jones – Eyes Wide (1992, Cherry Red)

Their fondness of flute gave Blind Mr. Jones the reputation of being the shoegaze Jethro Tull, but this band from Marlow, UK were one of the more underrated groups of the era, with a distinctively British sound, a decided goth streak, and consistently memorable, melodic (New Order-esque) bass lines. There are no wind instruments on the Eyes Wide EP but it does feature Slowdive's Neil Halstead who gifts the record with some of his transcendent guitar cloud cover. All four songs are terrific. Is your favorite Ride song "Decay" from Nowhere? You should definitely investigate Blind Mr. Jones further. Extended listening: Compilation Over My Head collects everything Blind Mr. Jones recorded, including the Crazy Jazz EP that featured Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood.

16. Adorable – Sunshine Smile (1992, Creation)

While they owed more to Echo & the Bunnymen or House of Love than My Bloody Valentine or Ride, Adorable were signed to Creation Records, peppered their very catchy songs with guitar noise and got not entirely unfairly lumped in with the shoegaze scene...even if frontman Peter Fijalkowski bristled at the word in interviews. One thing's for sure: "Sunshine Smile" was a hell of an introduction that sounds like its title, a wonderful guitar-drenched pop song with a slinky slowburn intro that gives way to a massive guitar riff chorus. The two b-sides -- melancholy-drenched ballad "A to Fade In" and the Madchester-leaning "Sunburnt" -- are great, too, as is the cover art which uses imagery from The Passion of Joan of Arc. Extended listening: The Sistine Chapel Ceiling EP takes its title track from Adorable's debut album, Against Perfection, and adds three good b-sides, especially "Everything's Fine."

15. Catherine Wheel – 30th Century Man (1992, Fontana)

Released in the last week of 1992, this limited edition EP was a step up, sonically, for Catherine Wheel who had never sounded so confident and powerful, giving fans a taste of what they might get with 1993's Chrome. This is probably a controversial pick, given that three of the four songs here are covers, but Catherine Wheel seriously deliver the goods with these killer takes on Scott Walker's "30th Century Man," Husker Du's "Don't Wanna Know if You Are Lonely" and Mission of Burma's "That's When I Reach for My Revolver." Their cover of "30th Century Man" is particularly inspired, while the other two merely rip (while they make them their own). The EP's original, "Free of Mind," is great too. Extended listening: If you just want great Catherine Wheel songs, the Black Metallic EP has four of them, including the title track which was a Modern Rock Radio hit in the U.S.

14. Kitchens of Distinction – Drive That Fast (1990, One Little Indian)

Kitchens of Distinction would probably be classified as dreampop these days; Julian Swales was up there with Robin Guthrie and Neil Halstead for being able to coax out gorgeous waterfalls of sound from his guitar, but bassist/frontman Patrick Fitzgerald was a confident frontman who had a lot to say. (They were probably closer to The Sound or The Chameleons than to Ride or Lush.) Released as a precursor to their second album, Strange Free World, "Drive That Fast" is one of KoD's best-ever singles and the EP's other tracks are all good, with the dark, boozy "These Drinkers" and a piano rendition of single "Elephantine" being standouts. Runner up: The Elephantine EP has the full-on swirling version of the title track, plus three worthy other tracks.

13. Lilys – A Brief History of Amazing Letdowns (1993, spinART)

Kurt Heasley has reinvented Lilys a few times over the last 30 years, but the group began as noisy indie rockers who pulled equally from late-'80s Creation Records and Dinosaur Jr's freak scene. This wonderfully titled EP has some of Lilys' catchiest songs, including "Ginger" (which inexplicably ended up getting used in a 2007 Cadillac commercial), "Any Place I've Lived" and "Jenny, Andrew and Me." It's one of their best releases and, sadly, also one of the rarest...out of print, not on streaming services, and used copies are hard to come by. Extended listening: Lilys' debut single, "February Fourteenth," is a real ripper.

12. Verve – All in the Mind (1992, Hut)

Before they became Britpop stars with “Bittersweet Symphony” and “Sonnet,” The Verve were just Verve (they had to add the "The" after legal threats from Verve Records), a band from Wigan, England who made out-there, super-groovy psych rock. The group pretty much disowned the title track of their debut EP moments after releasing it, but what do they know? “All in the Mind” is a propulsive space-hopper jam that really shows off Nick McCabe’s incendiary fretwork, Simon Jones’ deeply melodic bass, and the indispensable, jazzy style of drummer Peter Salisbury. The other two tracks -- the beautiful “One Way to Go” (featuring a great vocal from Richard Ashcroft) and dreamy “A Man Called Sun” -- are more indicative of where The Verve would go on their debut album, A Storm in Heaven. Extended listening: The Verve E.P. was the band's introduction to the U.S., taking tracks from their first three singles/EPs, including "A Man Called Sun," and edits of their tripped-out A-sides "Gravity Grave" and "She's a Superstar."

11. Swervedriver – Duel (1993, Creation)

Another band who got better when they burned off some of that haze, Swervedriver made a massive leap between their first album, Raise, and their second, Mezcal Head. A big part of that was a new lineup of the band -- which included a much-improved rhythm section of drummer Jez Hindmarsh and bassist Steve George -- that could really rip. But it was also better songs and more muscular production courtesy producer Alan Moulder who was very busy in the early '90s. (He probably worked on half the records in this list.) The soaring, roaring "Duel," arguably the album's finest moment, is backed with two killer B's: the majestic "Planes Over the Skyline," and starry eyed "Year of the Girl," both of which have Jez going full Keith Moon. Extended listening: Standalone single "Never Lose That Feeling," which would be tacked-on the U.S. edition of Mezcal Head, was actually the last record the original lineup of the band made. The EP version melts into the dubby "Never Learn," making for a very worthy 11 minutes.

10. Chapterhouse – Mesmerise (1991, Dedicated)

In the UK, there was a lot of cross-pollination between shoegaze, acid house and the Manchester scene, and few groups pulled all those together as successfully as Chapterhouse. Coming just a few months after releasing their debut album, Whirlpool, the four-song Mesmerise EP -- which is is sometimes listed as a single -- features two great examples of their blissed-out style: the title track, which blasts out thick waves of synthesizers against a piano hook, was as much a Madchester anthem as anything else; while “Precious One” rides a bongo-fueled groove. There’s also the swirling, ambient “Summer Chill” and the windswept guitar haze of “Then We’ll Rise.” Extended listening: 1990’s Freefall EP falls a little more into space rock territory, but “Falling Down” -- which uses The Soul Searchers’ "Ashley’s Roachclip" drum break sample heard in Eric B & Rakim’s “Paid in Full,” Milli Vanilli's “Girl You Know it’s True” (and on many, many, many other records) -- pointed to the direction they would soon be heading.

9. Curve – Blindfold (1991, Anxious)

Curve were an interesting group, as both Toni Halliday and Dean Garcia had been around for a while in the industry; Dean was a live member of The Eurythmics in the early-’80s, and they were both in short-lived ‘80s band State of Play, who made one record and then broke up. Dean played on Toni’s 1989 solo album, and then they decided to take another whack at a group, perhaps taking My Bloody Valentine’s “Soon” as an influence, mixing hazy guitars with dance music. With Halliday’s powerful pipes it was an alluring combination. Alan Moulder, who they’d worked with in State of Play and on Halliday’s solo album -- and who was THE shoegaze engineer -- was the de facto third member of the group. Curve released three EPs in 1991, all of which are great but the first, Blindfold, is the best with the seductive single "Ten Little Girls"  featuring something no other record on this list has: rapping. Extended listening: Curve’s second EP, Frozen, is also killer, featuring “Coast is Clear” -- one of their best-ever tracks. All three of their 1991 EPs were collected onto the Public Fruit album.

8. Velocity Girl – Velocity Girl (1993, Slumberland)

While mainly known for its influential punk scene, Washington DC also had a thriving indie rock scene in the late '80s and early-'90s that was heavily influenced by the UK's C-86 scene and labels like Creation, Cherry Red and 4AD. Velocity Girl, in fact, were named for Primal Scream's song on C-86, and played a similar style of very fuzzy janglepop. The group included former Black Tambourine member Archie Moore and, originally, Bridget Cross who, when she left to focus on Unrest, would be replaced by vocalist Sarah Shannon. The band's gift for melody, and love of shambolic, noisy guitars, is evident on this EP that collects songs from three early 7"s. "My Forgotten Favorite," which would turn up a few years later on the Clueless soundtrack, is the obvious standout (and arguably VG's best song), but the other five songs are equally stellar. Extended listening: Velocity Girl were more fond of 7"s than EPs, but their 1993 debut Copacetic (released, like all their albums, on Sub Pop) has held up well, and gotten better with age.

7. Ride – Today Forever (1991, Creation)

Released just a few months after their debut album Nowhere, the Today Forever EP takes Ride out of the hazy murk and into cleaner production without sacrificing their signature swirl. The EP also shows a growing confidence in songwriting and arrangements, like with the powerful, deliberate “Sennen.” Today Forever was never released in the U.S., and is unknown still to a lot of fans, though three of its four tracks found their way onto the American "Vapour Trail" CD maxi-single...but it leaves off one of Ride’s prettiest songs ever, “Today.” Extended listening: Ride’s 1989 debut EP contains classics “Chelsea Girl” and “Drive Blind.”

6. The Boo Radleys – Lazarus (1992, Creation)

Like a number of shoegaze bands, The Boo Radleys spent a couple years hiding their musical skill and good songwriting behind a wall of MBV-inspired noise. This resulted in some great music but when they came out of their shell, they got even better. Released not long after their wilfully dissonant Everything’s Alright Forever LP, the Lazarus EP felt a bit like seeing the band with a new pair of glasses. The signs had been there all along for The Boo Radleys, but all four songs here are a step up in every way. “Lazarus” would show up on 1993’s Giant Steps, but without the long, dubby EP intro that pays off so well when the song roars into focus. It's also amazing they'd delegate songs as good as "Petroleum" and "At the Sound of Speed" to b-side material. Extended listening: 1991’s Every Heaven EP is pretty fantastic with a nice balance of melody and roar, and has one of the Boos’ best-ever songs, “The Finest Kiss.”

5. Slowdive – Holding Our Breath (1991, Creation)

While clearly influenced by the Cocteau Twins' shimmering style, Slowdive didn’t really sound like any other group from the original shoegaze era, with an oceanic guitar swell that remains unique and mysterious. “Catch the Breeze,” which would also show up on their 1991 debut album, Just for a Day, is an all-time classic but the rest of this EP is just as captivating. Rachel Goswell’s ethereal harmonies on “Shine” will never not send shivers down your spine, and their cover of Syd Barrett's "Golden Hair" is rather titanic. Extended listening: Slowdive’s debut EP, Morningrise, nods to the band’s ‘80s goth youth while pointing toward the direction they’d soon head.

4. Moose – Jack (1991, Hut)

If it wasn't for Moose, this list might have to be called something slightly different, as the word "shoegaze" was first used in a Sounds review of one of their early gigs. That is probably enough to warrant an inclusion here, but luckily Moose were a great band who carved out a distinct corner in The Scene That Celebrates Itself. Their first of three 1991 EPs, Jack, was as dissonant as they got, but underneath the bandsaw guitars were melodies rooted in a classic songwriting style that owed as much to Burt Bacharach as the Velvet Underground. That would bubble up to the surface more as the band progressed, but you can hear it on both "Ballad Of Adam & Eve" and "Boy." The EP kicks off with the awesomely drony title track, and wraps with moody ballad "I'll Take Tomorrow." Extended listening: By the release of their third 1991 EP, Reprise, they were already halfway to the breezier style they'd adopt for XYZ and subsequent albums, and it features the gorgeous, country-ish ballad "This River Never Will Run Dry." Songs from Moose's early EPs were cherry-picked for the Sonny and Sam EP, the only record Moose ever got released in America. Criminally underrated, I

3. Pale Saints – Flesh Balloon (1991, 4AD)

In between their first and second albums, Pale Saints added singer-songwriter-guitarist Meriel Barham to their lineup, changing the dynamic of the group for the better. She made her debut on this EP, singing lead on a playful, dreamy cover of Nancy Sinatra's "Kinky Love." The whole EP is fab, though, with the sprawling, dramatic "Hunted" -- which would show up on second album In Ribbons -- and is one of the best examples of the group's unique mix of beauty and noise. There's also a demo of "Hair Shoes," which shows up in full studio version on In Ribbons, but the real standout here is spectacular instrumental "Porpoise." Extended listening: 1990's Half-Life Remembered is pretty great too, especially "Half Life" which toys with Madchester beats. The title track is great.

2. Lush – Mad Love (1990, 4AD)

Cocteau Twins’ Robin Guthrie was behind the boards for this four song 12” that remains the perfect distillation of everything Lush did so well. Quintessential Lush song “De-Luxe” leads the EP that also includes the equally wonderful dreampop track "Thoughtforms" both of which feature Miki Berenyi and Emma Anderson's signature guitar and vocal interplay. plus great minor chord slashers “Leaves Me Cold” and “Downer.” Lush made many great records during their brief run, but if you can only have one, make it this. Extended listening: Lush’s debut, the six-song Scar mini-LP is excellent too, if a little rough around the edges. You don’t have to choose, either: Gala compiles Mad Love and Scar, plus a couple other tracks, on one album. It's also hard to argue with picking up Ciao! Best Of Lush which includes their dabblings in Britpop (like the title track which was a duet between Miki and Jarvis Cocker).

1. My Bloody Valentine – Tremolo (1991, Creation)

While My Bloody Valentine’s 1990 Glider EP features their danceable classic “Soon,” the 1991 Tremolo EP has an overall higher hit-count, and sees Kevin Shields and the rest of the band continuing to break new ground. Tremolo features the swirling, transportive “To Here Knows When,” the beautiful “Swallow,” glide guitar ripper “Honey Power” and the churning, Brian Wilson-esque “Moon Song.” Nearly 30 years later, listening to this dazzling EP's four songs will have you wondering "How did they make this?" and "are my stereo speakers functioning properly?" A must-own companion to Loveless. Extended listening: Then again, Glider does have “Soon.” Get them both!