Has there ever been another group like The Shadow Ring? Across the ten years of their existence they probably confused, alienated, charmed and inspired more people than anyone outside of Harry Pussy, with whom they shared stages and beds. Formed in Folkestone in the early 90s, the group's initial remit was based around supremely alienated acoustic basement jams that combined occult wordplay with hilarious/depressing renderings of urban tedium in a way that relates to nothing much outside of The Fall, although their commitment to free music and avant garde smarts saw them tied-in more with the activity around legendary imprints like Siltbreeze and Sound @ One. They released a bunch of records on their own highly-collectable private imprint Dry Leaf Discs, all adorned with Graham Lambkin’s surreal black and white artwork, most of which have been out of print for some time, so this new double disc retrospective is a fucking treat for anyone who has heard the name more than the actual sonics. Running from the early deadpan hypnotic-acoustic style through to the later austere electronic incarnation, Life Review also throws in a bunch of unreleased and live tracks that further demonstrate the creative breadth and the accelerated development of the group. Listened to with the benefit of years The Shadow Ring seem more obviously connected to the whole post-punk UK DIY scene than you ever would have thought but it was the American underground that fully embraced them, operating as they were during a time when there was barely a comparable UK underground to speak of. But this is a timely reminder of how suburban UK has regularly thrown up some of the most unclassifiable, defiantly individual and historically significant underground thought of the post-punk age. The discs come in a chunky fold-out digipak with a full-colour booklet featuring posters, artwork and snaps of the band and associated players like Adris Hoyos, Jim Shepard, Tom Lax, Scott Foust and Karla Borecky. A fantastic memorial for a unique group. Highly recommended.