Live From Home sounds like a band at its peak, not a band ten years past its breakup.

A confession: I wasn't a huge Shudder to Think fan. I was on the periphery of their career, drawn to the odd time signatures and vocal inflections, and, of course, Craig Wedren's fluid, torch-like falsetto. Once the band broke up, I tried to get into Wedren's solo album—but it was unexciting, at best. After ten years apart, the band reunited for a 2008 tour; for those of us who missed it, they've gifted us with a recording of event, titled, appropriately, Live From Home.

Live CDs are always a mixed bag. You're without the visuals, so most of the onstage energy and showmanship is gone. Also, the pristinely recorded songs don't always translate well to the stage (hence the necessity of the aforementioned visuals). As the band's songs have such a uniquely layered sound, I set my expectations low for this release. Boy, was I wrong.

Live From Home sounds like a band at its peak, not a band ten years past its breakup. The songs are rich and textured, pristinely presented while conveying all the energy and excitement of a live show. Songs such as "Hit Liquor" and "Gang of $" come across almost as powerfully as they do on record. The discordant guitars, uniquely timed beats and walls of sound caress Wedren's words, his flexible voice completing the package.

Shudder to Think was, to me, always a band you could dip into when it suited you. You didn't have to know all the songs, own all the albums, to appreciate their unique and stuttered beauty. And the same holds true with Live From Home. Even if you've never owned a Shudder to Think album in your life, you can still appreciate the live album as a best-of collection, use it as a jumping point into the world of Wedren and Co. There are far worse ways to fill your ears to be sure. A- | Laura Hamlett

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