Value Series Vol. I.: Fool's Gold

Sometimes the best records were not meant to be records at all. There are more than a few folks out there who argue the best songs Pavement ever recorded appear on the Watery Domestic EP or that Chris Bell's I Am the Cosmos exceeds anything Big Star ever released. To wit: Summer Hymns' Value Series Vol. 1: Fools Gold, a 10-song/30 minute mini-album made to pass the time between records, an accidental masterpiece that contains some of the most magical moments the Summer Hymns have ever put to tape. Fools Gold eschews the twangy bounce of Clemency in favor of more open-ended, chance-y arrangements. Rather than redo the imperfections, they tweak them until they sound purposeful. Imagine Bob Dylan's Blonde on Blonde stacked up against the less heralded, homespun Planet Waves, then apply the analogy to the Summer Hymns' universe. That's near where Fools Gold will take you. With the off-the-cuff charm and free-spirited approach, Fools Gold is poised to be the best album they never made - a hidden classic in the Summer Hymns' ever-growing discography.