Builders, Pyx (1985-1988) (CD)

I always think of Bill Direen as a Chris Knox type musician. He was also a New Zealander making music in the '80s, and some of his best work has similarities (both to Chris's pop songs and his more abstract moments). Pyx is a lot more diverse, to a point that's somewhat confusing. Being a reissue compilation (on Flying Nun in 1994), it clearly does not reflect anything close to an original sequence. Parts definitely sound like Great Leap Forward, which is a comparison I don't make often (much as I am a Big Flame fan), and works less well for Direen. The best songs on here, like "Alligator Song", "Clifford Flat", and "Dublin", reflect yet another distinctive New Zealand voice.