4 out of 5

Label: Knw-Yr-Own

Produced by: Various

How, exactly, to rate a D+ compilation album? Even at their most accessible, Bret Lunsford’s non-Beat Happening act is an acquired taste of Bret’s kermity vocals, cringey clever lyrics, and sloppy instrumentation.  ‘On Purpose’ is thus a very funny title for a set that selects key tracks from across the band’s first few releases, rather clearly stating that – yes, we want to sound this way. 

So if we assume you’ve made it past that barrier to entry, either as a curious listener or fan, what can we ask out of this set?

Frankly, it’s an excellent Best Of, and an okay representation of the group’s different modes. The former is probably a better choice over the latter, if we’re choosing.

D+, to me, succeeds by presenting pop gems from the most meager of elements, relying on the skills of the players to kind of shape loose melody into magic, while also allowing for a lot of dumb shit in there to prove these folks are human, and a little goofy. …And that dumb shit ultimately becomes part of the magic.

On Purpose cycles between the group in super catchy singalong mode, some light rockers, some denser and more emotive affair, and then a midsection of acoustic-y stuff, though all of this is framed by the D+ sound of simple guitars, drums, and quirky vocals. A couple of live tracks are even worked into the excellent sequencing, which, perhaps you can assume from the group’s live to tape sound, are not dissimilar from “studio” efforts (especially given their comparable production quality). At the same time, given the curation, this stuff is all catchy… but lacks immersion. Part of the shtick of the albums is the off-single stuff that seems pointless, but becomes part of the carved-from-nothing spell the more you listen. Without that in-between material, the highs kind of even out. And i imagine if you’re a new listener, and you follow this to an album, that might be annoying – On Purpose is very streamlined in comparison.

But again – take the album title at its word!