Entomology curates the Josef K story with the kind of lover's touch that should grace all such collections of under-appreciated bands. Culling from both LPs, it's dotted with single versions, b-sides, and a concluding trio of Peel Sessions.  Full text...

The post-punk band's sound was informed, if not directly modified from its Manchester predecessor, Joy Division. Like Interpol a generation later, Josef K built on the tinny, grinding guitars, low-lit ambiances and deliberate rhythms perfected by Ian Curtis and company. And just as the band's namesake will always be compared with Cincinnatus C., it's virtually impossible not to see how Josef K and Joy Division's fortunes are intertwined.  Full text...

Those guardians of the wittier end of today's indie world, the Domino label, have had some fun of late. Their coffers swelled by the world-conquering Franz Ferdinand, they've taken to the occasional significant retrospective.  Full text...

Josef K were the artiest of the Scots contingent. Their subsequent influence on Franz Ferdinand doesn’t make this career anthology any easier on the ear, but at its best — check the itchy funk clatter of Heaven Sent and the anxious pop austerity of Fun ’n’ Frenzy — there’s character in spades to reward repeated listens.  Full text...

It is a hodgepodge for sure, and not a cohesive sounding record, but it showcases an underappreciated talent. Josef K careened around the scene for a short time, but there was something there extraordinary.  Full text...

Although Entomology is clearly the best available collection of the band's short career, it ultimately confirms its second-tier status in the canon of post-punk upstarts. Perhaps it's an unessential buy for those without a completist's need to uncover every corner of the genre, but the album is home to some choice playlist fodder at the very least.   Full text...

For that, indie scholars and beard-stroking, monthly music magazines should be grateful.  Full text...