4 out of 5

Label: Computer Students

Produced by: Bill Skibbe (mixed by), Bob Weston, Seth Manchester

This is a rating of the reissue by Computer Students, and not necessarily the music itself, which, like a lot of early math rock, is a lot of fun but can be a little indulgent, leading to a bit of an identity crisis. Still, I have no doubt they were a kick to see live back in the day, and certainly when there was less of this stuff floating around, owning this disc would’ve felt more special, an “I can’t wait to see what they do next” prize. From the future, we know this was all we got, and while guitarist Dave Konopka would build on this stuff from here, it would’ve been cool to see this group carve out a larger space of their own over time.

Anyhow: the rating. The new mix from Bill Skibbe really helps to bring out the edges of the recording, which was already captured well thanks to Bob Weston being at the board, but just sounds a bit sharper – it hits a bit more directly. And it’s cool to have this on vinyl.

The real bonus, of course, is the bonus: an extra three tracks apparently written back at the time but then recorded in 2021 (!) by Seth Manchester. These are of the same pedigree, I’d say, but closer ‘Softly Ultra’ is a standout, and maybe indicative of how things could have developed, with the song pushing toward being less flippant and willing to patiently build up some riffs, making later juxtapositions in the track hit harder. The lack of any real context on these songs is kind of a bummer – a one-paragraph sticker or insert explaining the how and why of their existence, and being recorded anew – but still, this is really such a rarity on a rerelease, and super cool.

Computer Students packaging is, as usual, very slick, with lush colors on the artwork, individually packed LPs, and full bleed art on the inner sleeves as well. Plus a giant poster. Plus the sound quality – always now proven with CS – being truly solid, with a lot of range and depth.