Up on the Sun
This is the album where most fans agree that Curt, Cris, and Derrick came into their own as a totally original artistic force, where the intricate wordplay of Curt's heat-driven visions is finally matched by the tricky rhythmic exchanges and turbulent, trippy melodicism emanating from the instruments. When listening to songs such as the whistle-led "Maiden's Milk," the outrageouslyTalking Heads-funky "Away," or the giddy, rollicking "Seal Whales," it becomes almost impossible to believe that only three instruments could create such a delicate, textured record. It truly seemed that this Phoenix trio had managed to capture the sound of the desert on vinyl--the sense of echoing loneliness, the cactus prickliness, the vast open spaces. This reissue (originally released in 1985) includes five bonus eight-track demos.--Everett True