Shining Breeze: The Slowdive Anthology

Liner Note Author: Kieron Tyler.
Less than six years after Sanctuary released Catch the Breeze, Cherry Red put together The Shining Breeze: The Slowdive Anthology. Both releases are two discs in length and provide an overview of the band's entire discography, from 1990's Slowdive EP through 1995's Pygmalion. There is a little less overlap than one would expect: 13 of the 31 songs here are not on the Sanctuary set. Slowdive was such a consistent band, with several B-sides and album tracks as strong as their A-sides, that the two releases are both representative and nitpick-prone. The most obvious gripe here is that seven of the nine songs from Pygmalion are included, yet the album's gorgeous "Crazy for You" is not. Among the highlights that cannot be found on the Sanctuary compilation: "She Calls" (a towering "Morningrise" B-side, one of their most psychedelic moments), "Moussaka Chaos" (an ambient dub mix of "Souvlaki Space Station" that hangs in suspense), their storming cover of Lee Hazlewood and Nancy Sinatra's "Some Velvet Morning," and the lead track from the 5 EP (thudding, mind-bending ambient techno, a bit of a shock upon its 1993 release). ~ Andy Kellman