Review: The Clean – Anthology (Reissue)

Flying Nun Records. The Dunedin Sound. If these words don’t incite you to a jangle pop riot (or to buy this $44 quadruple LP), then here’s one last lazy description: The Clean are to indie rock what The Beatles were to rock n’ roll. Besides hailing from Dunedin, New Zealand (the most fertile independent pop scene on the planet between Olympia, Wash., and Glasgow in the ‘80s), the band is rightfully revered by all college rockers that followed. Their comprehensive anthology is split in half, beginning with their debut single “Tally Ho!” is Disc 1, featuring the band’s early recordings. Disc 2 dives into more obscure territory, and the whole package nicely captures the band’s diverse expression: jangle pop, noise punk, psychedelia and brilliant, off-kilter songwriting. The track listing is identical to this anthology’s first iteration, now over a decade old, but it’s a worthwhile addition to any vinyl collection this time around. –Christian Schultz