Canta Mientras Puedas

With a title taken from the Spanish version of the band's motto -- "sing while you may" -- Canta Miedras Puedas is a useful enough single-disc compilation of the Legendary Pink Dots' work in the first half of the '90s. Those who have all the releases in question which were culled for Canta won't need this unless they're a hyper-completist -- there are only two relative rarities on the disc, both remixed versions of From Here You'll Watch the World Go By cuts. However, if one is a newcomer to the work of LPD, this is really an excellent place to start. Three of the band's stone-cold classics are on here -- the absolutely gorgeous acoustic-guitar led "Belladonna" and "I Love You in Your Tragic Beauty," which makes an amazing one-two punch for the album's start, and the swirling boulevardier swing of "Princess Coldheart" with its memorable keyboard melody and anthemic conclusion. Other cuts from The Maria Dimension and The Crushed Velvet Apocalypse crop up, while Shadow Weaver, Malachai, and Chemical Playschool 8 + 9 are represented by one song each. Two choices from 9 Lives to Wonder round out the release. ~ Ned Raggett|