4AD shines a light on the Leeds dream pop band's second album, remastered and augmented by the bonus 7" from the original vinyl pressing and nine demos.
Recorded in Nashville with the Black Keys' Dan Auerbach producing, Hearts That Strain is an organically crafted, immaculately arranged set of original songs that all sound like they easily could have been recorded at Olympic Studios in 1970. These are languid, poetic compositions, largely inspired by the melodic, Americana-informed pop of '60s songwriters like Jimmy Webb and Lee Hazlewood.
One of the many oddities in the Black Flag catalog, this four song EP of instrumental, jazz-informed sprawl is every bit as menacing and uneasy as the band's punk songs with various vocalists. Recorded and released in 1985 at the peak of the band's productivity, The Process of Weeding Out is minimal but charged, experimenting with atonality and messy improvisation in a decidedly rock format.
![In Ribbons [Expanded 30th Anniversary Reissue]](https://rovimusic.rovicorp.com/image.jpg?c=uwV_g1AsWQlEsCqIkIBexoAf7E_1E-2MlBBPmPAXRBU=&f=4)
