86ed

I sure love me a good compilation, which is no big news if you're a regular around here. There are a couple ways at it — some lovingly dig deep and serve up forgotten music in particular styles (like anything by the Numero Group); others go broader and synthesize many different aspects of a place or time (i.e. any of the sprawling Nuggets editions). One that does both and is rarely far from my mind is the C86 cassette (now available as the CD86 disc; I don't think they're calling it mp386 yet). If you're already familiar, I'll spare all the talk about "jangly," "shambling" pop and just say it's an embarrassment of Anglo pop riches, one after another.

The title is kinda apt. It comes from its release year of 1986. And while many of the bands clearly took inspiration from early to mid '60s guitar pop, it's all filtered through a very mid '80s Smiths-esque sensibility, deftly eliding the '70s. See. 80s. 60s. Fun. But I digress.

Most of these bands had little career to speak of, so each tune feels like an especially noteworthy moment in the sun. You could throw a dart at a board and pick a winner. But I'm especially fond of this one, with its strummy, rainy day dreaminess. A rainy moment in the sun? Hmm...

The Raw Herbs - He Blows In