Oh my god it’s December, it’s finals week and I haven’t gone to class all semester! Oh wait that’s my recurring anxiety dream, but the first part of that is true. We’re running out of new releases but there’s always something to write about in Indie Basement, at least for a couple more weeks before I start posting best-of lists. Today we’ve got don’t-call-it-a-remix-album albums from Metronomy and SAVAK, a box set for underrated ’90s UK band The Auteurs, a covers EP from Ride‘s Andy Bell, and jammy UK indie rock traditionalists Langkamer.

Over in Notable Releases, Andrew listens to Babyface Ray and more. Other stuff from this week that might be of interest: Ride are playing Nowhere in full and The Charlatans are playing Between 10th and 11th in full on a joint North American tour in early 2023; The Brian Jonestown Massacre announced their 20th album; and Robert Smith talked Wish on Tim’s Twitter Listening Party, and Tim himself (of The Charlatans) told us about his favorite stuff of the year.

You can also catch up on my favorites from November, including reviews of the month’s best songs and more.

As I mentioned its December and with the holidays coming up quick, don’t forget the Indie Basement section of the BV shop for the classic indie music lover in your life. It’s full of vinyl, books, and merch from Love & Rockets, The The, Mogwai, The Flaming Lips, King Gizzard, Pavement, Wet Leg, Mo Troper, Arctic Monkeys, Beach House, Broadcast, Stereolab, Belle & Sebastian, Talking Heads, Spoon, Lilys, Cocteau Twins, Can, Dinosaur Jr and more. Records make great gifts!

Head below for this week’s reviews.

Metronomy – Small World Special Edition (Because Music)
Sebastien Tellier, Katy J Pearson, Bolis Pupul, Jessica Winter and more collaborate with Metronomy on new versions of songs from ‘Small World’ — much more than a remix album!

When Joseph Mount started Metronomy in the mid-’00s, he quickly became as well known for his remixes of other artists as his own songs. (Gorillaz, Klaxons, Goldfrapp…kd lang?) Back then Metronomy had much more of a distinct sound — watery, claustrophobic — that you knew it was his work just by hearing it. Mount doesn’t do so many remixes for other artists these days and Metronomy moved past that sound after 2011’s The English Riviera, but they’ve gotten very into collaborations again. For the special edition of this year’s terrific Small World, they’ve invited some of their friends and favorite new artists to work on new versions of the album’s songs. These nine tracks are not remixes, with most of the artists recording totally new versions of the songs, sometimes as duets with Mount, while others are basically covers. All of them are good, all of them are very different from the ’70s-ish pastoral pop originals, and a couple are even improved upon.

In the latter category: Jessica Winter takes “I Lost My Mind,” which on Small World is a pretty spacerock ballad, and turns it into glittering cosmic disco somewhere between ABBA and Giorgio Moroder. Other great collabs: Katy J Pearson turns “Love Factory” into a dreamy duet with Mount, trading vocal lines, taking the spotlight in the chorus, and adding some spine-tingling harmonies along the way; Sebastien Tellier, whose classic “La Ritournelle” Metronomy remixed in the ’00s, turns “I Have Seen Enough” into a louche Francophone slow jam retitled “J’en Ai Assez Vu” with Tellier and Mount both singing. Similarly, PPJ reimagines “Things Will Be Fine” as gentle tropicalia for her cover, Panic Shack deliver a punk rendition of “It’s Good to Be Back,” and Charlotte Adigery partner Bolis Pupul takes the jaunty “Hold Me Tonight” and turns it into a quaalude bubblebath. A lot of remix records get called “reimaginings” but this one really is that — not unlike Kings of Convenience’s Versus album — and truly makes for a great companion piece to Metronomy’s album.

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SAVAK – Error / Delight (Ernest Jenning Recording Co)
Brooklyn art-punks hand their most recent album over to Mogwai, Colin Newman, Plus/ Minus, Nate Kinsela and more to be remixed and the results are pretty great

SAVAK’s fifth album, Human Error / Human Delight, was released back in April and is their best, most-assured record yet, with catchy songwriting cozying up to angular post-punk hooks and lyrics that mixed the personal with the political. They’ve now handed the songs over to friends, contemporaries and heroes to have their way with. Error / Delight is just the kind of remix record you’d expect from SAVAK, if that’s something you could expect, taking these songs in surprising and cool directions.

For a band with post-punk leanings and roots in the ’80s/’90s DC scene, a number of these remixes go in dubby directions: Michael Hampton (The Faith, Manifesto) makes album highlight “Oddsmaker” a little more sinister with subtle echo and reverb, while both Birthmark (Nate Kinsella) and The Department of Human Genetics (Eli Janney from GvsB & Greg Oreck of Thugfucker) go in a sort of trip-hop direction. Crooks on Tape (Brainiac/Enon’s John Schmersal and Skeleton Key / Enon’s Rick Lee) take “No Blues No Jazz” to industrial Sheffield 1979, Light Beams twist “Baltimore Moon” into skronky party music, and Mogwai deliver the closest thing to club music here with their synthy, throbbing remix of “Set Apart.”

The best remixes present what seem like entirely new songs that work as naturally as the originals. Immersion (Wire’s Colin Newman and Malka Spiegel) basically turn the driving, angular “Cold Ocean” into their own song, giving it a sultry late night sheen. Best of all is The Patois Counselors who reconstruct the very punk “My Book on Siblings” with a nervous, stiff groove and almost breezy guitars — it was so different that the band’s Sohrab Habibion thought the wrong file had been uploaded until he heard the vocals kick in. Error / Delight holds together surprisingly well as an album, too, thanks in part to SAVAK and their remixers understanding where each other were coming from, even if they didn’t know where it might go.

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The Auteurs – People Round Here Don’t Like To Talk About It: The Complete EMI Recordings (Cherry Red)
Luke Haines’ underrated ’90s band gets its due with this 125-track, six-disc box set 

If there was Indie Basement Bingo, Luke Haines would definitely get a square. I’ve probably written about him 10 times in the five years this column has existed, whether with his solo records, collaborations with Peter Buck, or reissues of his past groups. He has a long lineage, going back to The Servants who had a song on NME’s influential cassette comp C-86. Haines didn’t lead a group, however, till the ’90s when he formed The Auteurs. The group’s glammy leanings got them lumped in a little with Britpop but Haines wanted no part of it, with a poison pen lyrical bent that had him lifting up the furniture in a perfect home to see what was hiding underneath. Nostalgia’s not his bag, man, though he’s not scared to dig up the past.

The Auteurs were a perfect ’90s band, forming in 1991 and breaking up in 1999, and they did all the stuff you were supposed to do then: sign to an indie that was secretly owned by a major (Hut Records via Virgin), have a cellist, get on the cover of NME, work with Steve Albini, refuse to play Top of the Pops, get remixed by a cool IDM producer signed to Rephlex, and break up before you go downhill. People Round Here Don’t Like To Talk About It collects almost everything The Auteurs released in one six-CD box set and it’ll be out February 10 via Cherry Red.

The band’s best records were their first and last: 1993’s New Wave, which remains charmingly sardonic, uninterested with trends of the time, and has most of their best-known songs (“Showgirl,” “Junkshop Clothes,” “How Can I Be Wrong?”); and 1999’s How I Learned to Love the Bootboys, which was heavy on synthesizers and debunking ’70s nostalgia. In between was 1994’s louder, crunchier I Was Born a Cowboy, which contains “Lenny Valentino,” the closest they ever came to a UK hit, and also 1996’s After Murder Park, which Haines made with Steve Albini and was written while recovering from a fall that broke both his ankles and resulted in some very dark songs like “Unsolved Child Murder” (its opening lyric gives this comp its title).

This box set also includes the 1996 album Haines made under the name Baader Meinhof which was a concept album about the West German left-wing Leninist/Marxist militant group of the same name (it’s great), as well as his 2003 album Das Capital, credited to Luke Haines & The Auteurs which had him rerecording Auteurs and Baader Meinhof songs with an orchestra, giving them all a cinematic Scott Walker/Bond Theme twist (also pretty great). There are tons of b-sides, outtakes, acoustic versions, alternate takes and mixes, and demos, totally 125 tracks in all. The only thing that’s missing from this “Complete Recordings” set is the 1994 The Auteurs vs μ-Ziq EP that had Mike Paradinas ripping apart tracks from Now I’m A Cowboy. You can listen to that on the streaming service of your choice, though, and this has more than enough to satisfy fans of one of the ’90s’ best cult bands.

PS: Luke Haines’ new album with Peter Buck is awesome.

PPS: I interviewed Haines eight years ago and it’s still an entertaining read if I do say so.

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Andy Bell – Untitled Film Stills (Sonic Cathedral)
Ride singer-guitarist covers The Kinks, Pentangle, Yoko Ono and Arthur Russell on this pretty EP

Ride co-leader Andy Bell released Flicker earlier this year, his second solo record of the pandemic and a great double album that had him digging through his archives, turning unused musical ideas into fully realized songs. He followed that up this fall with a series of thematic EPs related to the album, and the final of those is Untitled Film Stills that has him covering four songs that were influential to the making of Flicker. All of them are given the same hazy, shimmering arrangements heard on Flicker, making them his own while keeping the core of the original intact. Best of the bunch is the final track on the EP, a cover of “Our Last Night Together” by Arthur Russell (who inspired the song “World of Echo” from Flicker). Russell’s original sounds almost like an accidental, but beautiful, demo that was recorded from another room, all voice and cello; Bell keeps the sense of space but his version is much more layered, calling it “World Of Echo meets This Mortal Coil doing Skip Spence,” which is dead on.

The EP opens with Yoko Ono’s “Listen, the Snow is Falling” which was also famously covered by Galaxie 500 but Bell’s take is lovely in its own right (and would make for a nice addition to a holiday playlist). There’s also a skipping version of Pentangle’s “Light Flight,” which was also the theme tune for ’69/’70 British television series Take Three Girls and is perfect with Bell’s breathy vocal style. His voice is also a match for “The Way Love Used to Be,” one of The Kinks’ loveliest songs (from the soundtrack of Percy, which was a comedy about, not kidding, the first penis transplant) and he keeps the wistful air of the song intact while adding some gorgeous atmospherics.

Bell will be busy with Ride in 2023, both touring (America with The Charlatans!), and with a new album, but it’s been great spending the pandemic with this new side of his musical world.

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Langkamer – Red Thread Route (Breakfast Records)
UK band channel Pavement on their enjoyable new EP

Langkamer are a four-piece out of Bristol, UK and are helping balance out the city’s current music scene that’s still thought of as the Trip Hop Capital of the World. (I can feel Geoff Barrow writing an angry tweet already.) These guys make jammy, lightly twangy ’90s style indie rock that falls somewhere between Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci, Electrelane, and Pavement and they do it very well. (More modern comparisons could include Lewsberg or Hooton Tennis Club.) The Pavement comparison is hard not to make with a super-catchy song like “Hamlet,” which leans into its giddy “Cut Your Hair”-cribbing hooks. The rest of Red Thread Route is a little more laid-back, pleasingly so, with pastoral noodling that never loses sight of the song.

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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!