Filter
The Very Best Things: 1995-2008 (Craft Recordings)
2-LP, Mercury Swirl Vinyl
When Richard Patrick formed Filter in the early '90s and then released the awesome Short Bus album in '95, up to that point he was best known as the touring guitarist in Nine Inch Nails. The Patrick brothers were having a good decade; brother Robert played the main bad guy in Terminator 2, while Richard had left Nine Inch Nails and formed an excellent industrial-tinged rock band of his own.
This compilation digs into Filter's first chapter, starting with that debut gem through 2008’s Anthems for the Damned.
"The Very Best Things blends sought-after rarities with the group’s biggest hits, including their breakthrough single 'Hey Man Nice Shot' (1995) as well as 'Take a Picture' and 'Welcome to the Fold' (both from 1998’s Title of Record), plus 'Where Do We Go From Here,' from 2002's The Amalgamut," reads the press release.
Even better, this collection (released on vinyl for Record Store Day) compiles many of the songs that Filter had featured on soundtrack -- “(Can’t You) Trip Like I Do” with The Crystal Method (from Spawn), “Jurassitol” (The Crow: City of Angels), and a cover of Harry Nilsson’s “One” (The X-Files film).
This is a superb compilation that pretty much covers Filter's best work, and the smokey grey/blue vinyl (to match the sleeve) is gorgeous.
Collective Soul
Dosage (Craft Recordings)
1-LP, Translucent Lemonade Vinyl
To be completely honest, this writer has been doing Georgia alt-rockers Collective Soul dirty for decades. To this mind, they were sub-grunge bore-fiends, in a tedious and unpleasant category with the likes of Bush and Silverchair. They were best ignored.
So, we went into this Dosage listening session with no small amount of trepidation. After all, this album was the band's fourth, originally released in 1999. By then, they'd used up all of their chances. This was our first time spending time with Dosage, and we did so with gritted teeth.
No need. As it turns out, this is a superb record. Jangle-pop, psych-rock and '90s indie blended into a luscious 11 tracks of lush, melodic joy.
"The band’s experimentation paid off, as their fourth studio album was embraced warmly by fans—breaking the US Top 20 and garnering a Platinum certification," reads the release. "The album also featured one of the quintet’s most successful Mainstream Rock hits, 'Heavy,' which spent an astonishing 15 weeks at the top of the chart. The lushly arranged 'Run,' meanwhile, topped Billboard’s AAA chart—thanks in part to its appearance in the popular 1999 film Varsity Blues."
The album isn't without bite; "Generate" is a caustic beast of a tune. "Hey, I swallowed your pride," sings Ed Roland. "To gather up confrontation that you have so long denied." Oof!
The bright yellow vinyl is lovely, as is the sleeve that (as you can see here) features a lady with a face full of bees
