Best of Bauhaus - Crackle

Released during Bauhaus’ 1998 reunion tour, Crackle is the first single-disc retrospective of the beloved English band’s career. The remastering job is legitimately stunning. Early songs like “Double Dare” and “In the Flat Field” sound crisp and present where they once were muddy and distant. For a band that relied so much on sonic atmosphere, sound quality makes a huge difference here. The band came up with some immortal riffs (“Bela Lugosi’s Dead,” “Dark Entries”), some catchy and even danceable tunes (“The Sanity Assassin,” “Ziggy Stardust”), and more than a few bizarre experiments (“Mask,” “Crowds”). Their overall trademark was attention to sound design. These songs are three-dimensional: the guitar might be in the far distance, while the bass drums are below you and the vocals are whispered directly in your ear. Some songs sound like they were recorded in an aluminum cube, while others sounds like they came from deep inside a forest. Crackle makes it clear that Bauhaus weren't just about songs—they were about making a landscape out of sound and coaxing the listener through that landscape, even, and especially, when the journey was frightening.