Beginning life as a typically miserable post-punk group The Wolfgang Press moved on to incorporate hip-hop and dance influences into their musical melting pot. 'Everything Is Beautiful' claims to encompass 1983-1995 but its earliest tracks are from 1985; namely the still vital sound of the funk workout that is 'Sweatbox' and, less impressively, a drunken karaoke version of Otis Redding's 'Respect'. That apart, this compilation draws from their later work whose any similarity with their nascent sound is Michael Allen's brooding vocals. Somehow Allen's monotone worked well alongside the grooves, hip-hop and remix tricks that litter this collection; offering an edgy cool over the subtly danceable backgrounds, reaching a chilled-out peak with 'Chains' and 'Executioner' from 1994's Funky Little Demons; arguably their album of most consistent greatness. The full story isn't told here but what the listener does get is an oddly compelling mix of archetypal 4AD-style miserablism and De La Soul-influenced subversion.
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