If the artsy British independent label 4AD has a calling card, it's 1987's
Lonely Is an Eyesore. Featuring many exclusive selections from their late-'80s staples, you get tribal mysticism from
Dead Can Dance ("Frontier," "The Protagonist"), fractured pop mysticism from
Throwing Muses ("Fish"), dream pop mysticism from the Cocteau Twins ("Crushed"), gothic mysticism from
This Mortal Coil and
Clan of Xymox ("Acid, Bitter and Sad" and "Muscoviet Musquito," respectively), instrumental mysticism from
Dif Juz ("No Motion"), sound collage mysticism from
Colourbox ("Hot Doggie"), and pop art mysticism from the Wolfgang Press ("Cut the Tree"). It isn't exactly a sought-after independent label sampler in the manner of Rough Trade's Wanna Buy a Bridge?, and it's not as legendary as Factory's A Factory Sampler, but it does offer some fine examples of 4AD's excellence, especially in the cases of the Throwing Muses and
Dif Juz selections. The compilation was also released in a severely limited edition (try 100, of which only 30 were commercially issued), encased in a wooden box with a VHS supplement and a number of graphic prints. ~ Andy Kellman