The entire released output of this Australian power pop is contained on this two-CD compilation, with disc one presenting their sole album, 1990's
Something or Other, and disc two assorted non-album cuts and previously unreleased items.
Something or Other itself is esteemed by some power pop aficionados as one of the genre's best records, getting ranked in the Top Ten of a list of the 25 greatest such albums in a 1999 issue of Goldmine. Power pop fanatics might be even more prone than other special-interest fan bases to zealously champion items non-specialists might find of average quality, but even taking that into consideration, it seems such praise might be overly generous. It's a well-done, confident power pop record, heavy on strident, assertive chords, vocal harmonies, bright ringing guitars, and upbeat romantic lyrics. It's not, however, a strikingly original entry in the field, bearing obvious traces of some of key
Someloves songwriters Daryl Mather and
Dom Mariani's admitted influences, like
Big Star and
Dwight Twilley. At times it sounds rather like a more indie pop-oriented
Tom Petty as well, particularly in the vocal delivery. The production (with overdubs and mixing done at
Mitch Easter's studio) is more layered and nuanced than many such releases, and if this kind of music had been a very commercial style around the globe in 1990, there seems little doubt that these guys could have sold a good many records. It didn't, however, leaving this as something primarily of appeal to power pop cultists, many of whom remain unaware of its existence, the Australian group being pretty obscure on an international level. If you are one of those cultists, however, this reissue is something to treasure, with disc two adding seven previously released cuts that didn't appear on the album, as well as a demo of
Something or Other's "How She Loves" and the "EMI mix" of their debut 1986 single, "It's My Time." This second disc actually has some songs with more obvious, catchy pop appeal than most of the tracks on
Something or Other, such as "She's a Better Lover." The package also has an amazingly detailed 36-page booklet by American indie rock expert
Fred Mills with a group history, vintage photos and graphics, and interviews with the band and
Mitch Easter, though somehow it does not manage to specify the original release details of all of the previously issued tracks on disc two.