5 EPs

After releasing a 7", 12", and album of deeply derivative but occasionally excellent post-punk, Disco Inferno turned a corner and went on a remarkable run of five EPs -- one for Cheree, four for Rough Trade -- issued from 1992 through 1994. Those releases, inspired by the sampling likes of Young Gods and the Bomb Squad yet reminiscent of neither and utterly unique, are compiled in full on this disc. These short-form releases, like the band's second and third albums (D.I. Go Pop, Technicolour), largely deal in turbulent collisions of layered noise, heaving rhythms, and buried melodies. They fluctuate in feeling from eerie and unsettling ("A Rock to Cling To," "From the Devil to the Deep Blue Sky") to merrily cartoonish ("A Night on the Tiles," "It's a Kid's World"). Crause's sharp lyrics are often delivered with a casual viciousness, articulating equal levels of disdain toward racism and romance, with the latter attacked over gorgeously ringing/rippling guitars for "Love Stepping Out," a lonely hearts club fantasy: "Punching women, kicking men/Five on one, one on ten/These fuckers getting all that they deserve/It's just tricks with mirrors." This compilation was long overdue but handled with great care; the artwork falls in line with the original releases, and the booklet contains a lengthy essay along with press clippings. Disco Inferno were borderline genius, but it's not hard to understand why Blur and the Cranberries reached more ears. ~ Andy Kellman