Aberdeen

Californian band Aberdeen started out their recording career at legendary UK label Sarah Records in mid-’90s before disappearing off the map for a few years. During that time, the two mainstays of the band John Girgus and Beth Arzy saw their romantic relationship fall apart and, not surprisingly, so did the band. It took four years before they could talk to each other again and that’s when Aberdeen started to record again, eventually releasing their debut album almost a decade after the band first appeared. What Do I Wish For Now? collects together their singles, with a few rare compilation tracks, and is a more satisfying listen than their real album was. While the early singles are not the highlights here, they don’t deserve the condemnation by Girgus as being garbage either — they are merely a starting point for the band that, not surprisingly, evolved during the years. At their peak, they sounded like a mix of Galaxie 500 and Trembling Blue Stars (whom Beth is now a member of), with shimmering, jangly guitars and female vocals. Technically, the band haven’t exactly called it a day but with both Beth and John busy with new bands, it doesn’t seem likely that a reunion will happen any time soon. Thankfully What Do I Wish For Now? is a nice reminder of what they left behind.