"Used to have visions. Used to believe 'em." When Craig Finn sings it in Nassau Coliseum it means a lot. First, it's coming from the man that's populated his songs with Nightclub Dwight, The Eye-Patch Guy, Katrina, Juanita, Jenny, a nightclub called the Nice Nice, a gang called The Crabs, dozens of other hustlers, junkies, headbangers, college students, ravers, and hangers-on, and enough pills, tabs, bottles, puffs, and chewing tobacco to make all of 'em have visions. Not to even mention what happens when the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse show up.

Secondly, for many, the fact that "Soft Rock" even exists is a vision, a mirage, a miracle, a dream. Compiling Lifter Puller's first two (long out-of-print) albums, their self-released EP, their last five recorded songs (previously available only on vinyl singles and compilation CDs), and five never-released recordings, "Soft Rock" is pretty much everything. When combined with "Fiestas + Fiascos" (still in print from The Self-Starter Foundation), it becomes easy to recognize that, while very unassuming, Lifter Puller created the most impressive body of musical work of the last 20 years.