Limes - Tarantula

2011 release that compiles two releases from this sorely under-rated band led by truck-driving rocker Shawn Cripps. Limes clicked with overseas listeners before Americans caught on, and Cripps's first album Tarantula received a limited CD release in 2005 on a small New Zealand label. Somehow that made more sense than it should have, as Limes' brand of quirky pop and rock wouldn't be out of place on a Flying Nun comp from the mid-'80s. 2006's Blue Blood is a somewhat more laid-back and sly slide through Cripps's sideways take on life. Long live Limes!