| But that’s most of what I can tell you about Alma Mater. Their recently-released singles collection, All At Once (Singles 1981-1987), may be even better. I can’t say, really, because the Stockholm Monsters seem to me like a band whose peculiar musical language, once understood, is capable only of articulating agonizing, timeless, danceable truths. And this is how it is, isn’t it, with one’s favorite bands: you feel like they’re an all-or-nothing proposition, at least until they make an awful record, which the Stockholm Monsters didn’t have time to do, since they broke up a few years after their single LP release. They did their perfect, heartbreaking thing for several years and then disappeared completely from view. I hope they all get rich off these reissues, which you can buy here, or you can write to Aquarius, who’ll doubtless be happy to get them for you. I hope you buy two or three copies and give them to your friends or ex-lovers. And if any of you get down into the crushed, unkillable heart of these songs and feel like there’s anything more to say besides “Holy Pierced Side of Christ, that’s a beautiful record,” I hope you’ll tell me what it is. I thank you in advance. |