Essential Logic - Fanfare in the Garden

Compilations are something I struggle with frequently. Being a music snob, I find that usually, comps exclude my favorite tracks; eschewed for minor hits and trendy remixes. However, the compilation is an easy and relatively inexpensive way for new listeners to educate themselves on a band they either missed the boat on during their career or simply weren’t alive to witness it. So, as someone who had never heard a note of Essential Logic’s music before receiving this compilation, this two-disc collection gave me an excellent overview of the work of this incredibly unique post-punk band. This set compiles tracks from every release Essential Logic ever put out, along with some solo Lora Logic and one Red Crayola track featuring Logic’s vocals. As the newcomer to the Essential Logic canon, I was quite pleased with the overview of material, especially Disc 1, which deals with the more celebrated period of E.L.’s existence. However, the audiophile in me couldn’t help think that Disc 2 must be pissing people off somewhere. Although it lures them in with demos and rarities, key album tracks, b-sides and EP cuts that are long since out of print were left out in favor of late 90s work that I presume no one is really too thrilled about. But enough about the semantics behind the packaging; the music speaks volumes. The soulful saxophone blends in nicely with the Graham Maby (Joe Jackson Band)-ish bass lines, the thin, trebly guitar sounds that defined early 80s post-punk, and Logic’s incredible vocals, that fall somewhere between Ari Up (the Slits) and an on-pitch Yoko Ono. Standout cuts include the acoustic and ethereal "Martian Man" and bass driven "Shabby Abbot." The band sounds incredibly tight most of the time but, like the best bands, can turn that off at the drop of a hat and let everything come sprawling out like a ball of yarn rolling across the floor. I was blown away by the sheer energy of the band, as well as the originality of the material. Even though I’m borderline comp-phobic, this is one that is well worth the gaps in coverage and slightly higher price tag. [www.killrockstars.com]