I have to admit that I missed out on Elmerhassel during its existence in the first half of the 1990s. I was aware of them but never managed to see or hear the band. However, thanks to a two-part discography I’m now able to easily catch up on a plethora of tunes that I’d love to have seen performed live twenty years ago. This is the second CD, featuring the John Wark album and a slew of additional tracks, including some remarkably good demos from the band’s earliest days. This is guitar music which intermittently sounds like The Doughboys, Ted Leo, and 3 amongst others—there’s a decent cover of “Swann Street” by the latter included here—giving some hints as to where the band’s influences were coming from. I just need a time machine now to head back to catch the band live.
–Rich Cocksedge (Boss Tuneage)