All Songs Written By: Human Television

In the '80s, college towns all across both the United States and England suddenly sprouted bands that took the urgency of punk and post-punk music and married it to music that was altogether more polite and inviting, featuring catchy, jangly guitars and artless, naïve vocals. A few of these bands went on to bigger things — you might have heard of a couple little bands called R.E.M. and the Smiths — but most of them lasted for a couple of singles, maybe an EP, occasionally a full album, before breaking up when the bass player decided to go back to his chemistry degree. A similar fate might befall Human Television, a quartet from the Southern college town of Gainesville Florida, which would be a shame. This EP's worth of short, tuneful songs featuring (mostly) rushed tempos and (always) chiming guitar lines and vocals that dance right on the edge of off-key is a shambling mess, in the most endearing way possible. The minimalist lyrics of songs like "Saw You Walking By" ("Saw you walking by the other day/I said hey...hey hey hey-hey") and "Tell Me What You Want" (two sets of lyrics sung over each other three times in a row) fit their invitingly offhand melodies to a tee, and every one of these songs is a miniature marvel of rackety indie pop. The white-vinyl 12" edition includes one song not found on the CD.