To say that the Jean-Paul Sartre Experience’s early discography resulted in unexpected confusion is to understate, thanks to two radically different versions of the Love Songs album being released in New Zealand and the US. The self-titled 1994 CD, itself a reissue of a 1987 cassette compilation, solves the problem by simply replicating the tracks from their self-titled debut EP and the original Love Songs in one place, letting all their striking early efforts, like the moody swing of “Flex” and the contemplative “Fish in the Sea,” shine together perfectly.

– Ned Raggett