Music reviews. CD reviews. Critically hip!

I have to be honest when I first popped this album in my stereo I knew very little about Camper Van Beethoven. I know they formed in the eighties but their name always made me think of Sebastian Bach, obviously because of the classical music allusions in each name.

My assumption, I came to find, was quite wrong. Camper Van Beethoven are the forgotten alternative college rock radio heroes of the 80s. Trying to make it big in a scene that included contemporaries R.E.M. and The Replacements proved to be a very difficult task.

As the new compilation, Popular Songs of Great Enduring Strength and Beauty, shows their influence nonetheless lives on today in the music of others such as Modest Mouse. When I Win the Lottery, sounds like a lost track from Good News For People Who Love Bad News.

Mostly a country folk college rock group, the tracks on this release span the whole breadth of their sound. Yearning violin is prominent on the guitar driven Pictures of Matchstick Men and the perfect pop of All Her Favorite Fruit.

The Day That Lassie Went to the Moon is a progressive, genre bending rocker featuring lead singer David Lowery's, best angst filled scream singing. I guarantee Kurt Cobain sat in his room listening to this song 10,000 times over. Listen to it and you'll see what I mean.

This release captures the best from Camper Van Beethoven in the 80s. This music has influenced many of the prominent alternative bands since then. You can hear it in the music. Camper Van Beethoven, in a way were ahead of their time. Now that it seems time has caught up they have reunited, toured and released new music. Most notably a complete cover of Fleetwood Mac's Tusk.

Many of the tracks on this compilation sound relevant today as many were ahead of their time two decades ago. These truly are songs of Great Enduring Strength and Beauty. Although not nearly as popular as they deserved to be.