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The dB's - Stands For Decibels (1981)

Track listing:
  1. Black and White 3:10
  2. Dynamite 2:36
  3. She's Not Worried 3:07
  4. The Fight 2:56
  5. Espionage 2:42
  6. Tearjerkin' 3:57
  7. Cycles per Second 3:06
  8. Bad Reputation 3:11
  9. Big Brown eyes 2:00
  10. I'm in Love 3:32
  11. Moving In Your Sleep 4:36
  12. Judy 2:49

Notes

On their debut, the dB's combined a reverence for British pop and arty, post-punk leanings that alternate between minimalism and a love of quirky embellishment, odd sounds, and unexpected twists; Stands for Decibels is clearly a collegiate pop experiment, but rarely is experimentation so enjoyable and irresistibly catchy. Singing and songwriting duties are shared equally by Chris Stamey and Peter Holsapple — Stamey, more quirky and psychedelic-leaning with a winsome, pure-pop whine, is nicely balanced by Holsapple's more earthy drawl and straightforward approach. The album stands not only as a landmark power-pop album, but also as a prototype for much of the Southern jangle that would follow. [Stands for Decibels remained criminally unavailable in the U.S. for years. When IRS reissued it on CD in 1989, Holsapple's "Judy" was added as a bonus track.]