A light January week in Indie Basement, but there are more than enough new releases to keep you entertained: Sleaford Mods‘ new album that features Aldous Harding, Gwendoline Christie and Life Without Buildings’ Sue Tompkins; the return of Crooked Man (aka DJ Parrot aka All Seeing I’s Richard Barratt); post-rock influenced Manchester trio Shaking Hand; and Magazine/Bad Seeds bassist Barry Adamson‘s score to documentary Scala!!!

Speaking of Life Without Buildings, I don’t think anyway expected them to announce this week that they were reforming to play their first show in 24 years, so between that and the Mods’ record, I look back at the first and only album for this week’s Indie Basement Classic.

It’s a busier week in Notable Releases, where Andrew reviews new ones from Jana Horn, A$AP Rocky, Julianna Barwick & Mary Lattimore, Rifle, Courtney Marie Andrews, and more.

It was a busy news week and here are a few Basement-friendly headlines: Rocketship are celebrating the 30th anniversary of their debut album with a vinyl reissue and reunion tour; the 2026 Mosswood Meltdown lineup is pretty great;  Hannah Lew of Cold Beat and Grass Widow announced her solo debut; Chicago cult country group Souled American announced their first album in 30 years; London dreampop band deary announced their debut album; and Hot Chip frontman Alexis Taylor’s new solo album features members of Air and Scritti Politti.

Head below for this week’s reviews.

ALBUM OF THE WEEK: Sleaford Mods – The Demise of Planet X (Rough Trade)
Sleaford Mods rage on, but with sharper hooks and a lighter touch, plus appearances from Aldous Harding, Gwendoline Christie, Life Without Buildings’ Sue Tompkins & more

“It’s Captain Cook from the planet / I still don’t know what the fuck I’m on about.” Who knows what to think these days? Certainly not Sleaford Mods’ Jason Williamson, who already declared the end of England on the duo’s last album, UK Grim, and now finds himself in what he calls a literal post‑apocalypse. Despite the title, The Demise of Planet X doesn’t make giant proclamations about the state of things — just sharp observations, peppered with creative, apoplectic swearing as only Williamson can deliver, and set to some of Andrew Fearn’s catchiest backing tracks yet.

Williamson remains an equal‑opportunity heckler, cutting down MAGA men one minute (“Flood the Zone”) and performative lefties the next (“Elitist G.O.A.T.”). There’s also “Bad Santa,” which takes direct aim at Donald Trump, Andrew Tate, and others by name. He doesn’t spare himself either, admitting to his love of online shopping on the dubby “The Unwrap,” despite the album’s many anti‑consumerist rants. Williamson has gone through anger management (and even made friends with former object of ire IDLES), and says he’s in a good place these days — but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing left that deserves his vitriol.

The Demise of Planet X was recorded at Abbey Road Studios — from the Beatles to Sleaford Mods! — during a week of free studio time that allowed Fearn to focus entirely on his beats while someone else handled engineering duties. He’s outdone himself here, delivering some of the Mods’ hookiest hooks to date, including the pogoing dubstep of “Megaton” and the loping, laid‑back “Double Diamond.”

The album also boasts an impressive list of guest vocalists. Aldous Harding appears on the DIY indie jam “Elitist G.O.A.T.,” while actor Gwendoline Christie (Brienne of Tarth on Game of Thrones) goes toe‑to‑toe with Williamson on a seriously formidable verse on “The Good Life,” which also features Irish duo Big Special on the hook. The most surprising and satisfying appearance, though, comes from Sue Tompkins of Scottish cult band Life Without Buildings, delivering one of her first vocal performances in over 20 years on the album’s most addictive track, “No Touch.”

The light touch of Fearn’s production and Williamson’s increasing self‑effacing humor don’t dull Sleaford Mods’ sharp stick. Instead, in the face of daily world events that would’ve felt like broad parody a decade ago, The Demise of Planet X still hits hard — without making you feel worse.

The Demise of Planet X by Sleaford Mods

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Crooked Man – Crooked Stile (Vicious Charm)
Sheffield dance legend Richard Barratt is back with his first Crooked Man album in 10 years featuring Róisín Murphy, Jarvis Cocker & Fleetwood Mac covers, more

Richard Barratt is a multi-hyphenate. A veteran of the Sheffield dance music scene, he’s best known as one-third of late-’90s UK hitmakers All Seeing I, but he’s continued to make innovative, fun house music ever since — producing records for Róisín Murphy (her great 2020 album Róisín Machine), remixing under the name DJ Parrot (including collaborations with fellow Sheffield native Jarvis Cocker as Parrot & Cocker Too), and releasing solo records as Crooked Man.

Crooked Stile is Barratt’s first album in a decade and arrives via Vicious Style, the new-ish label from Skint Records co-founder Damian Harris. (In fact, the label was initially started just to release Crooked Man records — but it’s since grown.) Barratt hasn’t lost his touch. Head straight to his storming, epic cover of Thelma Houston’s disco classic “Don’t Leave Me This Way,” which barrels across the dancefloor like a freight train, riding an absolutely irresistible beat for nearly 12 minutes as an unnamed vocalist vamps, ’90s-house style, all over it. The beat is so indestructible that Barratt even reused it for the Parrot & Cocker Too remix of Baxter Dury’s “Allbarone” — that said, it’s still only the second best cover of the song.

Covers make up a good chunk of Crooked Stile, including an ecstatic acid-house reimagining of Fleetwood Mac’s “Big Love” featuring house legend Steve Edwards, and an album-closing take on Cocker’s “Cunts Are Still Running the World,” bluntly retitled “Cunts” and given an icy techno makeover. But some of the best tracks are originals: the sultry “Love & Resistance,” the dub-enveloped “Denka,” and the simmering “Projection,” featuring a flawless Róisín Murphy vocal.

Dance music may be a young man’s game, but this album proves there’s still room for sophistication and maturity in the club.

Crooked Stile by Crooked Man

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Shaking Hand – Shaking Hand (Melodic)
This Manchester trio make post-rock indie like they grew up in Minnesota on their debut album

Stretched-out, ’90s-style indie rock — the sprawling kind that cozies up to post-rock — has long been a North American specialty, but new Manchester trio Shaking Hand seem to have a strong handle on it. Their self-titled debut features seven languid jams that nicely balance vibe and melody, atmosphere and form.

Like many of the records that influenced them, these songs sound like three people locked in sync, with plenty of headroom so all the instruments remain distinct while still clearly playing off one another. You can hear Slint, Pavement, Sonic Youth, and Duster in these tracks, but Shaking Hand are already so adept at what they’re doing that it never feels like theft — more like a record from the era you just hadn’t discovered yet.

Shaking Hand by Shaking Hand

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Barry Adamson – SCALA!!! (Mute)
A cult cinema gets a cult soundtrack, courtesy of a post-punk icon

Scala was an independent cinema that, for a time in the late ’70s and ’80s, served as an infamous safe haven for London’s weirdos, freaks, and arty outsiders. Part movie theatre, part anything-goes club, it’s the kind of place that — since its closure in the early ’90s — has taken on mythical status, like NYC’s Mud Club or Paradise Garage. People who were there talk about it with equal parts reverence and amazement that it ever existed.

Ali Catterall and Jane Giles’ 2023 loving documentary pays tribute to Scala, featuring stories from those who lived it, including John Waters, The The’s Matt Johnson, comedian Stewart Lee, Jah Wobble, and Magazine/Bad Seeds bassist Barry Adamson, who also composed the score. That soundtrack has now been released, with Adamson — a gifted stylist and sonic chameleon — paying homage to the kinds of films that played there: z-grade schlock, trash cinema, infamous arthouse staples, and more.

The Scala!!! soundtrack is a lot of fun, but best experienced alongside the film (which is available to rent on VOD).

SCALA!!! by Barry Adamson

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INDIE BASEMENT CLASSIC – Life Without Buildings – Any Other City (Tugboat, 2001)
Cult Scottish indie band announce their return just ahead of their sole album’s 25th anniversary

It’s a big week for fans of early-’00s cult group Life Without Buildings: singer Sue Tompkins makes a rare vocal appearance on Sleaford Mods’ new album (reviewed above), and the group just announced — to many dropped jaws — that they’d be reforming this fall for their first show in nearly 25 years. It’s a good time to discover — or reacquaint yourself with — their first and only album.

Scottish group Life Without Buildings were only together for a couple of years, long enough to release their debut album, Any Other City, in 2001 via Rough Trade imprint Tugboat, and break up soon after. The band had a very unique sound, with singer Sue Tompkins’ ecstatic, stream-of-consciousness poetry flowing overtop atmospheric, jangly-but-mathy post-punk. This is one of those records that few heard at the time, but grew by word of mouth and became wildly influential — long before TikTok discovered “The Leanover” in the early days of the pandemic and made it a viral hit.

You can hear their influence in current groups and Indie Basement favorites like Dry Cleaning, English Teacher, High Vis, Lewsberg, and Yard Act. There’s a whole lot of sprechgesang going around these days, but nobody did it quite like Life Without Buildings, with Tompkins’ joyous, repetitive flow that seemed to either birth the music or be born from it. They didn’t really follow verse-chorus-verse pop structure, but Any Other City has hooks, and it’s the kind of record that sounds strange and foreign on first listen — but you’re compelled to hit play again, and by the third time, you’re hanging on every unexpected syllable or time change.

One of the great one-and-done albums.

Looking for more? Browse the Indie Basement archives.

And check out what’s new in our shop.

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!