Scatter

Though it was not the first compilation of In The Nursery’s work, postdating the remarkable Counterpoint collection by six years, Scatter is probably the most crucial, serving as both the first release on the band’s own label for the rest of their career as well showcasing the transformation of the brothers Humberstone and their collaborators from murky industrial-leaning postpunk towards a richer and sonically surprising form of electronic classical music. Those earlier days can be heard on such efforts as “Workcorps,” with partially shouted/partially rasped singing and staccato snare drums as defining elements, and the brutal beats and unsettling vocal snippets on “Huntdown.” But by the time of such remarkable, almost romantic songs like “To The Faithful,” it’s perfectly clear that In the Nursery had reached a new synthesis of sound. There’s also the inclusion of the truly moving remix of the Sabres of Paradise song “Haunted Dancehall,” an initial piano part turning into a remarkable combination of a swirling string loop and descending mournful notes that totally makes the song their own.