Many of the oldies on this list would probably tell you the band was often brilliant ("Somebody Up There Likes Me" is regarded by at least a few of us as one of the best indiepop albums ever made), but had their moments of poo-wallowing as well (1990's "Hooked" LP is surely one of the worst, full of *big* guitars stolen, I've always assumed, from the shoegazer crowd). For a time, which I guess has passed now--with all the youngsters busy listening to lame late Heavenly records and whatnot--the Brilliant Corners were one of the bigger names in the indiepop world, a band that hovered for years on the verge of "breakthrough."

Brilliant Corners history, in a nutshell: The band was from Bristol, led by songwriter Davey Woodward, started up around 1984 or so, and released its last LP in 1993 (although there have been unconfirmed rumors, on this very list, of newer Brilliant Corners product). The Brilliant Corners sound, in a nutshell: The very earliest singles were a litle swampabilly-ish, but the band quickly developed a more jangly, trumpet-driven sound that is, in my book at least, a touchstone of classic indiepop (that's '80s-style, kids, not the overly rock stuff out there these days). The band's best stuff (from the mid to late '80s) is desperate, breathless, and catchy, catchy, catchy. Later work was inconsistent, hitting bottom with "Hooked", but rising again with swansong LP "A History of White Trash", which, though not great overall, recaptured some of the jangle, catchiness, excitement of yore (not enough trumpets, though...). Recommendations, in a nutshell: All of the LPs but "Hooked" are fine by me, but "Somebody", "What's in a Word", "Creamy Stuff" (a singles compilation), and "Everything I Ever Wanted" (a compilation of early stuff) are probably the best choices for beginners. 'Do You Like Ponies?' is a rare Belgium only compilation, more for the hardcore fan.

And don't go spending tons of money on Brilliant Corners records on eBay (an evil device that any record hunter would do well to avoid). Like every other '80s also-ran, their stuff is for sale all over Britain for dirt-cheap prices, if you look in the right places. You can even find some of it in America. Maybe not in Kansas, but, you know, you've got the entire Web to search...