More From the Holiday Haul

Last year, I went gaga for 'Adelphi,' the long player from Sydney indie-pop vets Even As We Speak. It felt like I put it on the turntable in July and never took it off. This affection had me thinking it was time to fill a few of the band's holes on my shelves, and I asked Santa for some help. Sure enough, on Christmas morning, I found a couple of their singles from the Sarah era under the tree. From 1991, let's listen to Sarah 59. This is both sides of the "Beautiful Day" single. Each song is gorgeous pop with one of their patented breaks in the middle where everything goes off the rails before recovering. That uneasy feeling is perfectly illustrated with the beach scene of a lone half-buried grocery cart found on the sleeve. Listening to Mary's voice from 30 years ago, I can't help but marvel how she sounds at least this good (if not better!) on 'Adelphi.'

Beautiful Day
Nothing Much at All