Ken Stringfellow’s prolific career includes spells recording and touring with REM and taking a lead role in the reunited Big Star, as well as his own much-loved West Coast guitar band The Posies. In between appearing on more than 200 records, he has also released four solo albums of varied style but constant quality.
Serving as a perfect introduction into the world of Ken, this collection dips into the best bits of his back catalogue, from deadpan country tragedy Down Like Me to harmonic pop wonder Find Yourself Alone to hazy baroque piano ballad Known Diamond (a sort of Tiny Dancer for really sad indie kids).
Among the covers, he transforms Robyn Hitchcock’s Airscape from an upbeat spangler into a down-tempo trip, and reawakens the vibes of John Peel’s Dandelion Records label with a luscious revisiting of Bridget St John’s Ask Me No Questions. Among the rarities is a version of Reveal Love from his brief 90s offshoot project Saltine – five minutes of pure guitar pop melancholy that alone will convince you of his genius.
