Learning to Walk

Compiling the Boo Radleys‘ singles on Rough Trade between Ichabod and I and Everything’s Alright Forever, Learning To Walk is aptly titled, as the group starts much more clearly coming into its own both as an enthusiastic shoegaze band of fellow travellers and an obsessive interest in pop across the decades. The latter element comes courtesy of two radio session cover versions — Love’s “Alone Again Or” and a retitled New Order take, “Boo! Faith” — but originals like “Kaleidoscope,” “Swansong” and “Tortoiseshell” help the group stand on its own (to extend the metaphor).