's stark and chilling second album is their best, one of the most powerful releases of the late '80s. 's icicle shots of chiming guitars, and ' agile rhythmic thrust, and ' boyish (but every bit as forceful) vocals rarely combine for a less-than-riveting listen. With its fluid bass-and-drum punch and enveloping twists of guitars, 's most fitting reference point is ' . Balancing the aggressive with the reserved just as well as its prime inspiration, 's nine songs float, skip, and roam with a level of immaculately-paced grace that can't be heard on most albums of the era. ' anguished expressions of despair, resentment, and embittered bile hit with the same scythe-like precision of 's best output -- in fact, given the atmospherics and complementary production at play (including the ideal amount of reverb), the songs are even more haunting than 's relatively pure- leanings. is one of the first places to go for an example of the album at its best. After accuses a partner of giving him a nervous breakdown and pleads to get his life back, the song shifts into a dextrous tempo change that recalls the controlled jerkiness of post-punk's upper tier and spins catharsis back into fraught tension. At 36 minutes, plays briefly but leaves the effect of an epic. Understated but full of ambition, it's a sticky trap. Though it was released on a respected label -- albeit one with limited distribution and exposure -- it's frustrating to think of how revered it would've been if it had instead featured a catalog number. ~ Andy Kellman