Singles Round-up

Singles Round-Up is nothing fancy, and just exactly what it purports to be: a compendium of 7"s from the first five years of Holly Golightly's solo career. As you'd expect from this former member of Thee Headcoatees, there are plenty of lo-fi garage sounds busting out here. But Golightly works equally hard at honing the cowboy, folk, and pop elements of these mostly original tunes. Naturally, anytime one resource compiles two dozen tracks originally scattered across eight labels, it's a handy item for fans. But Singles Round-Up is also useful for looking at Golightly's ability to bend a single piece of material to suite different moods. "Believe Me #1," for instance, swings on Western flare coupled with bluesy harmonica and double bass. "Believe Me #2" plows headlong out of the garage, complete with a squalling electric guitar solo. Though the disc includes a handful of vintage covers such as "Lonesome Town," the most satisfying interpretation is a jaunty (if faithful) romp through Pavement's "Box Elder." ~ Chris Nelson