Story of an Earth Girl

Earth Girl Helen Brown made their debut appearance as part of Sonny Smith’s wildly ambitious 100 Records box-set and art project of 2010. Tucked among the many bands Smith created with various members of the San Francisco indie scene, Earth Girl Helen Brown features Smith’s vintage-drenched guitars and keyboards paired with the sweet warble of the Sandwitches’ Heidi Alexander and Grace Cooper. Here, we are treated to the “found sides” of Earth Girl Helen Brown, the (mythic) one-eyed Canadian singer who was prone to both knife fights and fainting on stage. From the go-go dancing, strobe light fun of “Girl of My Dreams” and “Operation Self-Destruct” to the soul-diva yearning of “I Walked All Night” and the seriously wacky storytelling of “Story of an Earth Girl,” this short collection is a huge barrel of fun. Warning: the purring “Hit After Hit” — coated in ancient, flexi-disc fuzz tones — will likely have you spending your free time digging through dusty bins for obscure, ‘60s girl-group singles.