by Jason Ankeny
A much-needed and well-assembled compilation of the artist's non-Velvet Crush material, The Ballad of Ric Menck collects 11 sparkling indie single sides, all of them rendered with master pop craftsmanship. Perhaps most notable are the half-dozen cuts Menck recorded with Paul Chastain and friends under the name the Springfields for the legendary Sarah Records label, among them beautifully jangly originals such as &Sunflower& and &Wonder,& as well as covers like the Hollies' &Clown& and Matthew Sweet's &Are We Gonna Be Alright&; as with the pair of Choo Choo Train tracks which lead off the disc, this is all essential material which has been out of print for far too long -- a tip of the hat to Summershine for finally making it available again.