Whether you know it or not, Pacific Northwest indie-rock legends Beat Happening have been a major influence on what you listen to today, influencing the likes of Beck, the White Stripes, Deerhunter, Camera Obscura, Sleater-Kinney, and many others. The trio's earliest recordings predate grunge, alt-country, chillwave, and most other genres popular with music fans of today and yesteryear. Spun out of the DIY spirit of punk, they ditched the macho aggression and replaced it with a more nuanced take on independent, guitar-based music. They combined primitive Velvet Underground-accented garage rock vibes with a genuinely romantic look at nostalgia over the course of over a dozen singles.
Calvin Johnson (also co-founder of iconic indie label K Records) offered up his sonorous voice and un-self-conscious dance moves, while Heather Lewis held down the beat and guitarist Bret Lunsford kept things things chugging along. And although they haven't performed together in about 20 years, Look Around is a welcome chronological survey of their best recordings, including the oft-covered "Indian Summer," and a great reintroduction to an essential band of the 80s & 90s.
-Eric J. Lawrence
Tracklist:
- Our Secret
- Foggy Eyes
- Bad Seeds
- What's Important
- Look Around
- Bewitched
- In Between
- Indian Summer
- Other Side
- Black Candy
- Cast a Shadow
- Nancy Sin
- Knock on Any Door
- Left Behind
- Red Head Walking
- Fortune Cookie Prize
- Hot Chocolate Boy
- Pine Box Derby
- Tiger Trap
- Godsend
- Teenage Caveman
- Noise
- Angel Gone