All Natural Lemon & Lime Flavors - Straight Blue Line (2000)

This stunning collection of early U.S. singles and one previously unreleased track came along after the New Jersey-based All Natural Lemon & Lime Flavors had already decided to call it a day. Pity too, as this tremendously underrated dream pop band was one of the most intriguing acts to come along in the post-My Bloody Valentine era. Favorably compared to well-known bands like Stereolab, the Pale Saints, and early Boo Radleys, the Flavors were considered contemporaries of labelmates the Van Pelt, in addition to other lesser-known guitar/keyboard-oriented dream pop/space rock bands (Secret Shine, Chicklet, the Swirlies, the Lassie Foundation, Rocketship, and a zillion others). The band's use of dreamy, somewhat androgynous-sounding vocals, pink noise, and analog space pop drones creates vertigo-inducing atmospheres, and includes various elements found in the emo, indie, space rock, and new wave genres. The opening scorcher, "Repetitive Monotonous," is a fine example of what the Flavors were always capable of, with its multicolored starburst of guitar textures and rapturous melody. Other highlights include "Exploded View" and "The Number Knows Its Name."