0098787033328. Pre-Owned: Good condition. CD. Belying the Sonic Youth redux implications of their band name Halifax Nova Scotia s Eric s Trip (the title of a track from Daydream Nation) were more the epitome of Superchunk s noise-pop aesthetic. On their third official album Purple Blue shades of Dinosaur Jr. Sebadoh Eleventh Dream Day Pixies and Sugar all creep in periodically but that s merely in line with the sound of most 90s indie rock across the continent from Seattle to Chapel Hill. The Rick White songs are definitive noise-pop: short concise and roughed-up with distortion and occasionally eruptions into the Neil Young style of guitar pyrotechnics favored by J Mascis while the Julie Doiron songs have the quiet-loud-quiet dynamics and sweet sing-songy vocals favored by Kim Deal and company. This is not to say the band is derivative but a cursory listen to Purple Blue should allow even an amateur musical historian to place this album in context. The only anomaly is the medley Introduction into The...Parts 1 to 4 an ill-advised song suite that s in reality a muddled hodgepodge consisting of an opening blast of feedback followed by an acoustic ditty sung by White a dreamy ballad sung by Doiron a fuzz guitar and brushed drums shoegaze samba and a slow-motion piano-dappled dreamscape all tied together with smidgens of lackluster audience applause that only serves to confuse the listener especially as it s the album opener. The remainder of the album sets forth the band s blueprint of psych- and noise-tinged anthemic pop with just enough dissonance and dynamics to keep the mosh pit moving. It spans the gamut from My Bloody Valentine-esque waltz-time dream pop like Universal Dawn to driving motorik like Sixteen Hours to rollicking stompers like Spaceship Opening. It s a fine effort and in reality not as formulaic as one might think. And with most songs around or under the three-minute mark if one track doesn t inspire there will be another one just around the corner. It will be a shame if history doesn t remember Eric s Trip in the same canon as their more illustrious peers but the U.S. s little brother Canada often seems to get the short end of the stick. ~ Brian Way Rovi