Shudder To Think: Live From Home

One of the weirdest major-label signings during the indie feeding frenzy of the ’90s—leaping from the punker-than-punk Dischord, no less—Shudder To Think never really fit into any easily recognizable category, acting too pop to be punk, too post-punk to be pop, and just too strange to have any hits. The band began its big-league career with the momentous Pony Express Record, and it’s the songs from that jagged beauty that make the biggest impression on Live From Home, which was recorded when the group reunited and went on tour last year. Not that the rest of the collection has any trouble keeping up—this is basically a best-of record played by guys who were obviously still excited about stuff that goes back as far as 1990, and while it ultimately doesn’t seem essential for anyone other than hardcore fans, it’s always great to hear Nathan Larson getting glammy on songs like “Gang Of $” and “Call Of The Playground” and Craig Wedren doing his vocal acrobatics all over the place. Call it a trip down a truly twisted-rock memory lane.