Chris Knox and Alec Bathgate already had plenty of experience with the Enemy and Toy Love under their belt when they decided to go it alone as the Tall Dwarfs, and their initial four EPs from 1981 to 1984, compiled in 1987 as Hello Cruel World, demonstrated that their choice to just simply record great, minimal, weird and catchy music on a four-track was exactly the way to go. Right from the start thanks to the brilliant anti-anthem “Nothing’s Going To Happen” the genius of the duo and their impact on what became known as lo-fi is immediately clear.

– Ned Raggett