Long Days Ride 'till Tomorrow

A posthumous compilation of odds and sods from Eric's Trip, Long Day's Ride 'Till Tomorrow is chock full of what the band does best: upbeat, dynamic and uber-crunchy lo-fi noise pop. And despite it being culled from cassettes, singles, B-sides, outtakes and live recordings, it flows like a regular studio release, and also makes a case for the band's rightful place in the early-'90s American fuzz-rock pantheon alongside Dinosaur Jr., Superchunk and Pixies. The caustic "Close Your Eyes" is a feedback-laden scorcher that veers the closest to Sonic Youth that a band named for a song by those avant-noiserock godfathers ever seems to come. Where Sonic Youth is expansive, however, Eric's Trip leans toward concision, and they distill their sonic adventures down to core elements and favor a get-in and get-out approach to songwriting that never loses its pop sensibilities amongst the guitar shrapnel. Vocals are partially buried, harmonies are skewed, and the distortion is set on obliterate. The band's three proper releases (on Sub Pop) would be a better place for the neophyte to begin the Trip, but fans will find enough precious nuggets on this collection to make it worthwhile.