In their earliest incarnation, were the kind of group that could only exist in a college town, where cheap apartments were conducive to setting up home-recording gear and the bandmembers weren't tied down by jobs that wouldn't allow them the time to endlessly experiment, hone a sound, and record cassette after cassette's worth of stuff. The members of the band used this freedom to perfect a very particular sound, one powered by 's plainspoken vocals, the group's spare, but never spartan, interplay, and the warm tones of a Farfisa organ. It was space age pop thanks to the clean lines and closeted emotions, experimental in that the songs weren't tightly structured, and ultimately, a very innocent and tender take on the kind of slowcore perfected a few years earlier by and . In other words, just the kind of indie rock band from the 1990s one might expect the to want to help people rediscover. Their 2024 release is a definitive and overdue compilation of the group's early output. Included are their three studio albums released on the label -- 1996's , 1997's , and 1999's -- nearly all of the 2001 collection , and a handful of previously unreleased songs. Hearing the band's earliest singles and first two studio albums, it's plain to see that they had hit on something magical. They tapped into a very American, very simple sound that was comforting and warm, while at the same time challenging the listener to give in to the meandering vistas of sound and infrequent hooks. By the time of , it seemed like were weary of that challenge themselves and opted for a sound that was more traditionally indie and song-based. They still did a fine job of that, too, as the non-LP single from that era "The Only Living Boy Around" proves. Just getting the three albums and the single/rarities set back on the shelves was important enough; the addition of a raft of worthy unreleased songs makes it even more enticing. Two of the tracks are lengthy and blissfully directionless, others are dreamy and peacefully low-key, and the version here of "Mellow Fellow" -- which was previously found on -- really should have surfaced on a single, as it's one of their most naggingly melodic songs. has done the band and their fans, both old-school and new to them, a real service by getting this enchanting and singular segment of the discography back in circulation. ~ Tim Sendra