Reviewed by Matthew Cordle

This is really a retrospective package from American pop rockers Bleach, who have hung up their coats after playing together in various forms for around 10 years. The band put on a farewell concert on August 29th 2004 and Tooth & Nail Records have put together a CD/DVD compilation for their fans - the CD containing 15 of the band's most popular songs and three new ones, and the DVD being an edit of that final concert. I was struck by how credible they became as a band. A number of years ago I heard something they'd done and it was too much like a "bunch of lads recording in their garage" for my liking, but from this I can see they really developed from the early, raw, basic sound of "Perfect Family" to the more sophisticated indie sound of "Must Be Divine". The songs have a lot of life and energy, although some of the lyrics are fairly indecipherable in terms of their meaning, and anyone looking for deep lyrics will probably be disappointed, although there are some poignant moments like "What Will Your Anthem Be?" I was a bit more disappointed by the DVD. It does give you a taste of the gig, but quite a bit of it seems to have been shot on "shaky-cam" which gives it rather an amateurish, raw feel. From what I've read, it seems that a large part of the gig hasn't made it to the DVD either, which will, I suspect, disappoint anyone who was there. Overall though, a good greatest hits package for anyone wanting a memento of a good US band.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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