Soft Boys

1980's Underwater Moonlight is the moment when Cambridge, England's the Soft Boys found their unique voice, when they painted the broken glass left over from the punk scene a paisley sheen. So, when Rykodisc and Matador reissued the album for its tenth and 20th anniversaries, the impact was watered down by numerous bonus tracks and outtakes. Thankfully, Yep Roc has given Underwater Moonlight (along with debut A Can of Bees) a more purist re-release, restoring the album's original track list, artwork and layout on vinyl, CD and MP3. Robyn Hitchcock (who went on to a successful solo career) and Kimberly Rew (who formed Katrina & the Waves) would never again sound as unbridled ("I Wanna Destroy You"), resourceful ("Positive Vibrations"), delightful ("I Got the Hots") or important as they did on Underwater Moonlight, and it certainly wasn't from a lack of trying. This is an absolute classic.