It is perhaps most interesting to think about the release of archival recordings as a self-conscious act of disruption and messing with the legacies of the band at hand – a moment of unsettlement, even self-immolation, rather than artistic affirmation. Shining a light on neglected cul-de-sacs and past desire, they can project competing, even opposing, interests and expectations. These latter thoughts apply to the albums under review by Wire, Stereolab, and Iceage, though they are not alone.
As anyone who reads our “Fuzzy Meadows” column already knows, the “list” is just the beginning, and we’re always eager to add some “Further Listening” for consideration. Despite what some would have you believe, music is not a contest. We profiled many records in our “Year In Review” feature, but the fun doesn’t stop there.
After remastering, expanding, and re-releasing their back catalog, they proffer the fourth entry in the Switched On series, a sprawling omnium-gatherum of rarities recorded between 1999 and 2008. Electrically Possessed is full of agreeable eccentricity: buoyant beats and blubbering synthesizers; enchanting vocal utterances and bass lines that fit together like Sudoku puzzles.
