The Orchids

2005 release (RARE) ** Extended album with five bonus tracks from singles and demo sessions. "When indie pop fans speak of the fabled Sarah label and its roster, it seems that the Orchids are rarely afforded the same hushed, reverential tones received by the likes of the Field Mice or Heavenly, which is a great shame -- the Orchids were one of the finest bands Sarah ever produced, and their masterpiece Striving for the Lazy Perfection is as good as anything in the label's storied catalog. Encompassing everything from dream pop to trip-hop, it's certainly a product of its time and place, yet it also possesses a certain timeless quality -- though seemingly incompatible ingredients, the album's shimmering guitars, soulful backing vocals (courtesy of Pauline Hynds), and programmed beats add up to something unique and compelling. Moreover, while tracks like "Welcome to My Curious Heart," "A Living Ken and Barbie," and "Lovechild" are so dissimilar in style and sensibility as to sound almost like the work of three different bands, Striving for the Lazy Perfection is never less than the sum of its parts, held together instead by the scope of its ambition and the uniformity of its excellence."