HOVERING somewhere between Fairport Convention, grunge and soda pop is The Sub Pop Years.
The album's a 15-track journey through the band's history with prestigious Seattle label Sub Pop, which signed Damon & Naomi in 1992 after the pair released More Sad Hits.
Opening track Eulogy for Lenny Bruce is a fragile piano-led tale of loss. Voc
als are restrained and sparse, leaving room for rolling, delicate keys. It's a strange choice of an album opener – neither catchy or particularly emotive.
But I'm Yours, the second track, soon establishes the quality that earned Sub Pop attention – wildly off-piste grunge folk.
Guitar-playing is off-kilter, bass rumbles subtly, making nods to Fairport Convention's Danny Thompson, and vocals adopt a traditional folk aesthetic.
Occasionally the guitar dips into distorted mud, which gives the otherwise straight folk song a grungey edge.
Other highlights include Eye of the Storm, which opens with transcendent backmasked guitar.
It's not difficult to see why the label that discovered Nirvana grabbed this bizarre folk duo.
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