Everywhen

By far the most distinctive thing about the London quartet We Are Going to Eat You is their silly name, but their lone 1989 album is a small guitar-pop pleasure that certainly sounds better today than the processed synth cheese that dominated the era. Singer Julie Sorrel is too mannered to carry off some of the punkier numbers, but the combination of her cool vocals and drummer Chris Knowles' (he wrote most of the material) solid hooks makes for lovely listening when the guitars shimmer instead of crackle, as they do on "Each Life a Mystery" and "Eye to Eye." However, the clear standout is "Ride Upon the Tide," an anthemic rave-up that slips some funky drumming behind its three-chord rush (and is presented in an slightly inferior remix tacked onto the end of the CD, but not credited). Fans of female-fronted U.K. combos like the Darling Buds and Primitives who missed this one the first time around will certainly want to scour the cutout bins for it; anyone else just looking for a quick sugar buzz should grab it as well.