Pretty Things

While the Things remain adamant in their hatred for the post-production that added a brass and string section to their third album, it's possible to hear in its ambitious if misguided fusion a cheesy antecedent to the recombinant genius of hip-hop. While the ballad "House of Ten" sounds like a '60s premonition of '90s Britpop, it's clear that the Things were exploring musical ambitions that went way beyond their original R&B roots. That's clear in the seven bonus tracks that make this reissue an essential purchase. While the driving R&B of "There Will Never Be Another Day" (minus the brass) recalls the wild origins of their early sound, "Photographer" reflects the impact of Bob Dylan's "Subterranean Homesick Blues," while the pretty ballad "The Sun" (minus the strings) showcases a delicacy one does not associate with their original incarnation. Emotions documents a band in the midst of a powerful, substance-fuelled transformation.