Curve – The Way Of Curve 1990 / 2004

Two discs of enigmatic work from England's Toni Halliday and Dean Garcia. This release chronicles the alternative rock band's legacy from 1990 to 2004. A daunting task to be sure, but these two are up for it. If you own Curve's albums already, then the first disc will be familiar to you as it contains some their finest tracks from their early EP:s (re-released as Pubic Fruit in 1992) right up to 2002's The New Adventures of Curve. If you do not (for some bizarre reason) own any of their works, disc one is going to send you into sensory overload. I leave it at that.

The real beauty of "The Way of Curve" comes in the way of disc two, which is loaded with non-album tracks (including the much sought-after songs "Lo and Behold" and "Nothing Without Me") that are unreal in their otherworldly textures. One can listen to their version of the disco classic "I Feel Love". To notch it up one higher they even included their take on "What a Waste" and got Ian Dury himself to sing his own song along side them. You still think that's not enough? Check out the new track, the moody and unnerving "In Disguise" and you have the makings of a record which cannot be passed by.

Throughout the years, Curve have stood as innovators. Their drop-dead cool and gorgeous sound is timeless. There is no equal.

Reviewed 2004

This compilation includes the quite obvious hits throughout their career. In a way, the body is quite chaotic due to the timespan of the tracks (14 years). That's why the album doesn't work as a whole, but more of an ordinary "best-of"-album.

The second disc contains a couple of weaker tracks, but also stronger remixes from the likes of Lunatic Calm and Aphex Twin.

Serves as a good introduction to Curve, but their work still contains many gems to find. I would suggest picking their albums as a whole, starting from Doppelganger.