Fucked Up

This is a monster. Compiling Fucked Up's prodigious and rare seven-inch and twelve-inch output on two discs (not including songs already compiled on 2004's Epics In Minutes), along with a handful of unreleased songs, this is a vital collection from Toronto, ON's most ambitious hardcore band. Even die-hard fans and avid collectors will find new stuff here, from the unreleased fast version of "No Epiphany" (from the Chemistry Of Common Life sessions) to the demo of Hidden World's "Carried Out To Sea." For latecomers just discovering the band post-Polaris, Couple Tracks is crucial listening, from the seven-inch versions of "Triumph of Life" and "Generation" to the psychedelic deviations of the insane Daytrotter Session takes on "David Comes To Life" and "Magic Word." The real strength of Couple Tracks is bringing together the shockingly wide sonic ground that Fucked Up are capable of covering, from the Dag Nasty-meets-Negative Approach fervour of "Looking Back," (the b-side of the Shop Assistants seven-inch) to the epic dirge of "Black Hats" (the b-side of the Year Of The Pig twelve-inch).