21

JAMC created quite a stir when they arrived with their short, chaotic slices of noise and nascent pop. That they lasted from 1984 to 1998 is still a surprise to some, but during that time they clocked up some enduring and endearing slices of music, 21 of which are featured on this “greatest hits” compilation.

The tracks run from ‘Upside Down’ to the joint statements of how they felt when it was all over, ‘I Hate Rock’n’Roll’ and ‘I Love Rock’n’Roll’. Pretty much how a lot of us feel at times. But the love side of things triumphs here. When their pop sensibilities met their sense popability they created some short, sharp and sometimes shocking gems. Gathering them together makes this, in many ways, their finest collection; full of energy and barbed hooks, full of melody and murky moods, full of joy and pain.

These are songs whose very titles give you some idea of their core value. Titles like ‘You Trip Me Up, ‘Some Candy Talking’, ‘Reverence’, ‘Rollercoaster’, ‘Sidewalking’ or ‘Just Like Honey’. Songs that have a ’60s resonance and read like the titles of great films or books.

Perfect pop for displaced people.