*** The Sky Cries Mary

FRESH FRUITS FOR THE REVOLUTION

(World Domination)

This collection of unreleased and remixed "rarities" splits into almost seamless thirds: a mid-'80s noise introduction, a meandering psychedelic-rock middle, and a pattering drum 'n' dub bass conclusion. Although characteristic of a band who periodically transfigure (rarely a popular move among non-Madonna fans), the curious mix does more to suggest temperamental confluence than ruptured identity as it spans the Seattle band's decade-plus career. The Swans-y ponderous portion pokes these ears the most deeply, perhaps because of the scarcity of that sound these days. Yet the metamorphoses, minimal vocals, drone, bombastic bursts, and controlled melodrama form threads of consistency. The voices of Roderick J. Walgamott Romero and Anissa Romero (as well as celluloid samples) usually come up from under the music, massaging flatly impassioned tones somewhere between Daniel Ash and Stevie Nicks. It's not clear what the disc's title is meant to imply, though considering the hallucinogenic disposition of the whole affair, we could say the revolution is an inward one. On the outward front, the catchy sound is smoothly persuasive and evolutionary, not revolutionary.

-- Chesley Hicks