From A Summer To Another Summer (An Egypt To Another Egypt)

From A Summer To Another Summer was compiled by Tori Kudo of Maher Shalal Hash Baz with Stephen McRobbie and Katrina Mitchell of The Pastels, after McRobbie and Mitchell started their Geographic label to spread the word about this most curious of Japanese groups. As such, it pulls together a near-perfect selection of music by Kudo’s naive pop outfit. At the time, Kudo was thinking through error and imperfection as guides to creative encounter, and you can hear this in the charmingly halting, stop-start dynamics of the live recordings here. But it’s the songs compiled from their triple-album Return Visit To Rock Mass that shine brightest, Kudo teasing spirited performances from his troupe, playing classic Kudo songs like “Unknown Happiness” and “Heart And Soul And Mind” with all the avant-pop nous of Syd Barrett or The Red Krayola.