Americana

"If nothing else, David Byrne deserves commendation for putting this out; Rough Trade's collapse the previous year left A.R. Kane even more obscure than before, so having some major label pull didn't hurt! While just a compilation of various tracks from their Rough Trade career, Americana remains much better than nothing. However, both sixty-nine and i are far more complete and best heard as albums than the slightly scattershot arrangement of selected tracks here, which feels a bit odd as a result. Regardless, many of the band's most striking moments, such as Supervixens, A Love From Outer Space, And I Say and The Madonna Is With Child, appear, along with some rarities to boot. Then-new track Water is more slight than the usual fare, though the acoustic guitar-driven Green Hazed Daze, from an early single, wears its Cocteauness on its sleeve strongly. The real keeper, though, is Up, from another single -- an endlessly building slow beauty of a track driven by eight repeated notes, more echo and reverb than thought possible and a quietly exultant Rudi lyric. Not a bad place to start if you can't find anything else." ~ Ned Raggett, All Music Guide