THE CLARKS
Between Now And Then
(King Mouse/High Wire/Fontana)
Reviewed by Shaun Dale

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We've all been there. You finally catch up with a venerable indie band - maybe it's their first time in your town, maybe your first in their neighborhood. The show is just as good as everyone said it would be, so it's off to the merch table where you're confronted with a dozen or more CD's temptingly laid out.

Which one? Which one sounds the most like they sounded tonight? Or was there a better one? And that song, the one you really, really liked. Which one is that on?

Please. Which one?

Between Now And Then is The Clarks' answer to that age old question. In collaboration with their loyal fan base, via some polling at the band's website, they've assembled the 18 songs, 15 culled from nearly 20 years of recordings and three brand spanking new, to serve as the best first choice.

Of course, once you give it a couple spins, you're bound to come back for more. I'm not sure if this is really as good as The Clarks get, but when it comes to basic American guitar rock, The Clarks are about as good as it gets, so when they set out to compile a career chronicle, they could hardly go wrong. You, likewise, can't go wrong by adding this one to your collection.

Track List:

Bona Fide * Shimmy Low * On Saturday * Hey You * Better Off Without You * Born Too Late * Butterflies And Airplanes * Snowman * Apartment Song * Cigarette * Mercury * Caroline * Treehouse * Penny On The Floor * Help Me Out * No Matter What * Nothing's Wrong, Nothing's Right

© 2005 - Shaun Dale