A Week Away (Remastered Special Edition)

Like most Britpop groups, Spearmint has never made much of an impression on the American market. A shame, since fans of Oasis, Blur, Pulp and a twee band such as Belle and Sebastian would find much to obsess over here. A Week Away is the group’s 1999 debut album and this 2009 reissue adds a dozen tracks, including tunes from the Life In Reverse EP and other new originals. It’s a diverse collection that begins in vibrant Britpop spirit (“A Week Away”) and paddles through a variety of moods, beautifully finding a reflective quiet in “A Third of My Life” and “Hair,” a sing-song sway for “You Carry This With You” and even a tougher punk edge for the bizarre tribute to the pop-punks the Lemonheads with “Come On Feel the Lemonheads.“ The lyrics range from poignant to slick and cheeky, singer-songwriter Mr. Shirley Lee being cut from the same smart-alecky cloth as Jarvis Cocker. Throw in a few irresistible grooves like the bossa nova “The Weather Forecaster,” or the sonically enhanced trudge of “Absence Greetings Number One” and its sequel, and you’ve got an album that rewards repeated listens.