When It All Comes Down

The Cath Carroll-led Miaow never released a tentatively planned full-length album before the band split in 1988, but years later When It All Comes Down brought together the group’s three singles, radio sessions and demos and other cuts – including their C86 contribution “Sport Most Royal” and Carroll’s wonderfully weird revamp of Elvis Presley’s “King Creole” done in collaboration with Steve Albini – to create a definitive collection. The heart of it remains said singles, often at once vocally sweet and lyrically barbed, all with a crisp, focused energy.