Nonsequitur of Silence
This 21-track remastered (and occasionally remixed) reissue of Sneakers' seminal indie recordings sounds like a period piece from a particularly pivotal period in American rock. Rejecting the bombast and indulgences that had marked so much music of the 1970s, along with the bluesy bluster so often associated with its native South, the North Carolina band celebrated a mid-decade return to songs that were short, clever, and catchy. Led by Chris Stamey, who subsequently shared singer-songwriter roles with Mitch Easter, the band channeled the '60s influence of the Beatles and Byrds, but was even more inspired by Big Star, an early '70s Southern cult favorite steeped in Anglophilia. Stamey would soon enjoy a higher profile in the dB's and Easter in Let's Active, while both have continued to put their production stamp on plenty of music by other artists. From power pop to lo-fi indie rock, Sneakers showed the way.  And if you're looking for the missing link between Big Star and R.E.M., it's right here.--Don McLeese