Album of the Day

A Little Nonsense Now and Then, by echolyn (2002): After they reformed in 2000, echolyn set out to reissue some of their earlier material that had been locked away in the Sony vaults. Suffocating the Bloom . . ., their second album, got a reissue all of its own. The rest of the stuff came out in this 3-disc set.

Disc 1 is the band's self-titled debut album, which, although largely poo pooed by the band these days, has some really great stuff on it. Yeah, it's rough around the edges and not nearly as assured as even their second album, but it's still a fun listen.

Disc 2 is made up of two parts. The first is a 4-track mostly acoustic EP released after their second album called . . . and Every Blossom. The second is a collection of leftovers, live tracks, and one Genesis cover that was released as When the Sweet Turns Sour. It's been slightly remixed from the original version I've got, but is otherwise the same.

Disc 3 starts off with an unreleased track from 1989, back in the band's early days. It's in the same vein as the stuff from the debut album, but doesn't quite measure up. Next up are three "live in the studio" versions of tunes from Cowboy Poems Free, the band's return album. Finished up are four "2000" versions of some older cuts, several of which improve on the original ("Shades 2000" just sinks like stone, however).

If you're not an echolyn fan, none of what's on this collection is essential. If you're deep into what they do, however, it's a nice snapshot of a band moving from point A to point L, or so.