Colossal Youth

A great introduction to the band Young Marble Giants, this album was originally released in 1980 in what was likely an experimental moment of courage: punk had been birthed just a few years prior in a noisy, messy explosion of sound and image, and the new, post-punk movement was getting underway in the U.K. But was this too post-punk? Twee, sparse, airy, light … downright quiet, they were, this trio of bass, organ and detached, cool female vocals (the fourth member was a drum machine, largely responsible for the pervasive chill found throughout the proceedings). Considered a seminal record, this one and only full-length, studio recording from the band was released to much acclaim, allegedly contributing to the quick demise of the band. One listen to the perfect blend of irony and earnestness, fury and tenderness on just about any of these tracks should convince you of the band’s utterly unique standing (if you must shop around, try the galloping “Include Me Out,” the longing “Constantly Changing,” the cold and yet strangely emotional “Brand-New-Life”). YMG has influenced scores of bands in the Belle and Sebastian and Everything But the Girl schools of rock. Little did the band know – a quarter of a century ago – the mark they would leave on the musical map of pop culture. (If you are already a fan, be sure to seek out the Colossal Youth & Collected Works for everything the band ever recorded.