Suicide Squeeze Records did everyone a favor by re-releasing
Red Stars Theory's 1995 Deluxe Records 10" and RxRemedy 7" on one CD. These early tracks were recorded by
Calvin Johnson at Dub Narcotic. The noisy melodies would fit nicely alongside Diary-era
Sunny Day Real Estate or bands like
Cursive. But
James Bertram sings lush, hushed vocals that make
Death Cab for Cutie references relevant.
Red Stars Theory employs the soft-loud dynamic well, and songs like "Broken Neck" run into long
Mogwai-esque jams. The sound on these two records is extremely consistent, and sometimes the dream-core flows from one song to the next almost too smoothly. But the drifting melancholy is pretty blissful and reveals the source of
Red Stars Theory's later move toward psychedelia.