Richard Youngs, Sapphie (side A)

Originally released on CD in 1998, Sapphie defined a stylistic break for Richard Youngs.  His more experimental albums sometimes included songs with conventional structure and vocal melodies, especially the amazing new wave-influenced Pulse of the Rooster.  Sapphie was a far greater leap, as there are no unusual timbres or even overdubs.  Youngs's simple songs are rendered only with acoustic guitar and vocals, and his earlier playfulness has been abandoned.  The long, slowly-evolving tracks on Sapphie are sad and beautiful, as they expose a different side of Youngs's personality and creative voice.  After Sapphie, he has made a series of records following this template.  The 2006 LP reissue looks great, with nice reverse stock paper for the cover, but it would have benefited from a bit darker frequency balance.