Despite lyrical concerns that seem light and silly, the band’s music is incredible. Guitar lines snake around each other, while the drums and bass guitar provide a simple rhythmic structure. The vocals aren’t perfect, but have a charm that most “good” singing performances don’t have, namely in their ability to convey the feelings of rather nerdy performers. Taken together, these qualities make it easy to get lost in Big Dipper’s songs: this is an eminently pleasant collection; one great, if unassuming, song after the other.

The collection’s arrangement is great as well. As the music proceeds in chronological order, from the band’s debut EP, Boo-Boo, through their two Homestead full-lengths, Heavens and Craps, it’s easy to hear the band gain confidence in their songwriting and performing abilities. The songs move from skeletal pieces, to songs that are more full-bodied, surely a combination of better recording situations and growing ability. The final disc, a collection of what could have been the band’s second major label full-length after the failure of their major label debut, acts as a perfect final act for the band. Where their major label debut suffered from over-production and bloat, forcing the group’s songs into an alien situation, these songs – many just demos – sound as if they could have corrected the mistakes of the previous release, if only they’d ever been officially released. Now, thankfully, they are seeing the light of day, and it’s a fitting end to the story of a band that might never have been heard beyond the living rooms of a very select, but happy I’m sure, audience of record collectors and people that got to experience the band’s existence.