Album of the Day

Naming their band after a French football club was the first tip-off that founders (and music journalists) Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs loved pop culture references; debut album FOXBASE ALPHA is strewn with samples and snippets of film dialogue. The 1991 collection is best known for covers of Neil Young’s “Only Love Can Break Your Heart” and The Field Mice’s “Kiss and Make Up,” but most songs are original and tracks like the soaring “People Get Real” show the group’s fusion of ‘60s pop and club beats to be remarkably effective. If not yet a full-fledged member, Sarah Cracknell’s vocals are all over this set and show why the line-up quickly solidified as a trio. FOXBASE ALPHA gets the beloved U.K. indie band off to a terrific start.