The Dead C.

Vain, Erudite and Stupid: Selected Works, 1987-2005 (Ba Da Bing!)

“Best of” and the Dead C. aren’t exactly synonymous, but somehow the New Zealand trio’s 18-year recording career has been chopped up on this 2-CD set into the Kiwis finest (and highest) hours. 1988’s “Max Harris” opens the first disc, but three later tracks are the linchpin in this machine: the ominous “3 Years,” skull-cracking sonic wreck “Helen Said This” from the early-Nineties Siltbreeze era, and the drone-a-rama “Power.” Disc two is hit-or-miss late-Nineties/early 00s experimental squall, but cue that triple-song vortex, lather, and repeat. The Dead C. is your harsh reality.

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This article appears in December 29 • 2006.

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