Like Friends, Summerhouse's William Jones' band, Stockton-on-Tees' (NE England, south of Newcastle) WGH hail from the fertile post-Smiths-mania/C-86 Brit indie pop era. Back then, it seemed there were 20 pulsing new bands each week crossing Orange Juice with Velvet Underground in the NME and Melody Maker. 19 years after the WGH's obscure demise (they refused to gig, a mortal handicap in attracting notice, given that they lived so far from London) comes this compendium of their 1987 "The Changing Face" 7" single, 1989 album, and unreleased four-song 1990 EP. Like so many bands of that era, they sound fresh today, their jangly guitars emitting an air of classic soul-pop like Edwyn Collins' Scots, young Go-Betweens poeticism, and Andy Rourke-ish post-punk basslines, while singer/songwriter Carl Green croons with conviction. Sallyann Davis' counterpoint vocals are a tad too Human League-esque, but otherwise, these 16 low-key selections are full of light touches, tunes, and translucent trills.
© Jack Rabid, The Big Takeover /TiVo