The Colorblind James Experience

An utterly perfect crackerjack of an album — the Colorblind James Experience throw a cocked eye at country music of all stripes, resulted in a manic, cartoony collection of songs that sound like Raymond Scott throwing a hootenanny in an downtown Manhattan bar. The centerpiece track, "Considering a Move to Memphis," received the alternative airplay in 1987, but, in some ways, it's dissimilar from the rest of the album — a long rambling groove propelled by a vibes-and-guitar riff, over which Colorblind James drawls out deadpan surreal nonsense, a love letter to a city he may never have visited in the first place. Everything else is much shorter, with more traditional song structures — but what songs! "First Day of Spring" contains the winner chorus "she's a witch!/You were going to marry that girl!" as jug band polka percolates underneath. "Why'd the Boy Throw the Clock Out the Window?" plays like a wind-up toy band spinning out of control. And "A Different Bob" is a slinky, lounge number with a dream logic to its words. Largely ignored by the American public, it took British DJs from the BBC to break the band in Europe. Listen and you'll agree they were onto something. The CD adds two bonus tracks.