C O V E R		R E V I E W
		This isn't just a bloody great compilation; it's a sophisticated compilation, too. Matthew Jacobson's Le Grand Magistery label has a roster loaded with acts that make life worth living -- from the skewed elegance of Momus to the percolating loungepop of Louis Philippe, the langorous balladry of Mr. Wright to the jangly self-effacing pop of Shoestrings. Interspersed with tracks from these worthies are some rarer prizes -- Comet Gain's singular "Pinstriped Rebel", for instance, and Laila France's entrancing "David Hamilton". Trust me, the snap-crackle-pop faux jukebox grooviness of Mke Sheldon's "The Girl That Made Me Cry" could easily be the high point of your week, and any opportunity to hear Ninian Hawick (in this case, "The Pop-Up Man") should be taken post-haste and guarded jealously. Just pop All Done With Mirrors in the player and an almost-magical change takes place: suddenly you're thinking about fine wines and foreign films and sophisticated, erudite people want to be your friend. Okay, perhaps that's a mild exaggeration (I didn't watch any foreign films), but the bare minimum you'll gain is a collection of the sort of effortless pop songs that all but force critics to use words like "quintessential". Who can afford to pass that up?
	I N F O
Various Artists All Done With Mirrors Le Grand Magistery CD
		Review by

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