For those who don’t want to scour Ebay for all of the originals, In the Red Records has released a collection of Jay Reatard’s songs from 2006 and 2007, aptly titled Singles 2006-2007. Reatard, known for his work with The Reatards and Lost Sounds, rivals Ryan Adams with the amount of the songs he has put out. The Memphis native relies on the punk credo of short, fast paced songs with only one of the 17 songs on the album being over three minutes long. With such a compact stretch of time he manages to keep things interesting.

Some songs like “Nights of Broken Glass” (complete with shattering sound) are straight punk with shout out choruses and fast guitars. Others like the synthesizer filled “Another Person” have a new wave influence while on “All over Again” he throws in a little surfer beat. Songs like the 60s garage rock of “Hammer I Miss You” and “In the Dark” which sounds like he is screaming in a closet (perhaps explaining why he is in the dark) benefit from his lo-fi style.  With faux British accent in tow, Reatard kisses off a girl who can’t seem to make up her mind on “Let It All Go” and will undoubtedly have us all trying to impersonate his impressive vocal slide as he screams, “It’s too late.” Whether he is channeling Skeletor on “It’s so Useless” or getting a little sensitive on “Searching for You” Reatard is worth a listen for anyone looking for a little old fashioned punk in their life.

- Shannon Carlin