As a music enthusiast, I have always been a fan of the album. The album is a definitive statement: a reflection of a time or place in an artist’s life. Every album is, in essence, a ‘concept album’: The songs it is comprised of are given greater meaning based on their placement. They are inescapably linked to the atmosphere they inhabit. I frequently find myself creating a narrative around similar lyrical or musical themes which give an extra dimension to the music. My preferences make it difficult for me to champion a compilation but They’ll Only Miss You When You Leave by Carissa’s Wierd has really won me over.

A compilation is an anti-album. A group of songs are arbitrarily selected from the span of an artist’s career and thrown together without any reverence for time or place. It should rarely (if ever) be regarded as a legitimate entry in an artist’s discography (as a side note, this is why Rolling Stone Magazines top 500 albums of all time list was a total failure**). The rare times when compilations are useful can be divided into two main circumstances:

1. An artist has many non-album singles or eps that will be of interest to the listener.
2. An artist has never gained a proper following and a sampler is created to gain new fans.

Carissa’s Wierd falls under the second category. They are a band that I have heard mentioned in reviews numerous times but have never heard any tracks. No one has ever given me a Carissa’s Wierd tape and insisted that I needed to listen to it. I am coming into this disc without any prior opinion or point of reference; it is beautiful.

As is the case with every band that has ever been, comparisons can be made between the sound of Carissa’s Wierd and the sound of other bands but these comparisons are limited only to mirrored elements. On specific songs, you may hear the influence of the vocal harmonies and sparse sound of Low or the constantly bending guitar lines of Modest Mouse but Carissa’s Wierd takes these elements and injects them with their own sensibilities to create entrancingly circular compositions which sound as if they were made to be listened to while lying down.The already strong compositions are bolstered by cello and piano giving them an edge of sophistication beyond that which is attained by most folk-influenced bedroom-indie releases.

These songs are romantic. They sound as if they are performed near the gentle, flickering warmth of a living room fireplace by friends who are enjoying each others company in spite of the cold weather outside. If we create a “Winter Albums” list, I imagine that one of their records will be up for consideration on my personal top ten. Based on the strength of this release, I cannot believe that they never gained wider popularity but that could be the magic of the compilation.

They’ll Only Miss You When You Leave is a collection of songs which are considered by someone to be Carissa’s Wierd’s best work. It is possible that their albums never quite achieved the potential on display here. At this point, not having listened, I do not know but I cannot wait to find out!

Consider me the friend giving you a tape and insisting that you listen to it: Carissa’s Wierd deserves to be heard.