The Czars: Best of The Czars

In 1994, John Grant, the man whose music we now know and (yes, really) unashamedly adore, formed The Czars.

For 10 years they toiled, releasing six studio albums to much critical praise but zero commercial gain. When the band split up in 2004, Grant went Awol for several years, returning in 2010 with his debut solo album, Queen of Denmark. Yet it's instructive to note that his modus operandi has always been to enter the confessional, take a deep breath, kneel, and start talking.

Culled from three Bella Union studio albums (2000's Before . . . But Longer, 2001's The Ugly People vs the Beautiful People, and 2004's Goodbye), superb songs such as Los, Get Used to It, and Anger point directly to the songwriter Grant would become. In other words? There are gems to be found here.

[ bellaunion.com ]