Belly
Now They'll Sleep (4AD 5003)

I guess Tanya Donelly's Belly never did rule the world, but they sure ruled my world for a time, peaking probably with this single from King, their second and final album. "Now They'll Sleep" is one of the finest pop singles of the 90s, a perfect fusion of that "alternative" sound and Donelly's girl-groupie songwriting, which really was always much more Shangri-La's than Throwing Muses, when it all comes down to it.

"Sleep" is up there with "Feed the Tree" and "Not Too Soon" as perfect power-pop, knocking you back with the same edgy thrill of a glaucoma test. The EP is rounded out by a few rather typical Tanya b-sides: "Thief," "Baby's Arm," and "John Dark," not her most memorable songs by any means, but still better than a lot of bands' actual album tracks. The four songs hang together wonderfully, and whenever I drag this disc out of the cold-storage of my least-traveled CD shelves, my faith in Belly is always renewed. Fuck Nirvana, man … Belly was "90s" in the good sense.

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Review by Bobo Dylane