Audiopile Review: There’s an argument that Unwound was the last great indie rock band. “No”, you doubtless scream, “that was Blonde Redhead you nincompoops”. Okay, how about the last TRUE indie rock band. We’re getting into even thornier terrain here, but please stay with us. Point is, Unwound was maybe the only ‘90s indie rock band which had the sense of mission that the best ‘80s bands exuded. No shade on Pavement or a million other great ‘90s bands, but Unwound had a more fundamental vibe. And they had a phenomenal musical progression, from spirited Fugazi wannabes to something truly unique and magical. ‘A Single History: 1991-2001’ charts that progress very nicely, by bringing together a bunch of the band’s singles and various artists compilation appearances. Even though the songs are not presented chronologically, the sense of progress seems clear. What this really tells us is that all the elements which made late Unwound so remarkable were in fact present from the band’s inception. Note how the punchy opening song, ‘Mile Me Deaf’ is from the same year as the 10-minute penultimate track ‘The Light at the End of the Tunnel is a Train’ (1997, if you’re counting). And the dramatic closing instrumental, ‘Crab Nebula’ is an early demo. Maybe statements like ‘the last great indie rock band’ are a bit sweeping and melodramatic. But that’s how Unwound FEEL on this album. The songs on ‘A Single History’ may be from different years, but this band was always 100%-focused on its mission. And its mission stayed the same.

An expanded and remastered 25th anniversary edition of the mythical Olympia, Washington, trio’s out of print singles and compilation tracks, A Single History 1991-2001 gathers odds and ends from across Unwound’s first decade. From their earliest post-hardcore squeals on “Crab Nebula” to the dub-inspired death march of “Behold The Salt,” this 23-track double LP fills in the distorted gaps of their initial seven album run.

“I’d rather eat decomposed fish than listen to this.”—Pitchfork