Cream, serum, gel… let’s just say my daily eye care regimen is substantial. What can I say? I want to look young forever. More importantly, I want to feel young forever… if only you could buy that in a jar.

When it comes to tapping that oft-elusive fountain of youth, nostalgia does the trick for me. Which is why last week, I gladly pinned my 60-odd, audio-Botox bucks on Rhino’s Brit Box: 78 of Brittania’s coolest Indie/Shoegaze Britpop outfits — largely uncelebrated in the US, yet heroically resurrected in this smartly packaged box set — complete with a cherry-red telephone box cover image (iconic of all things across-the-pond) smothered in Brit-band bumper stickers that any fan would kill to get their hands on. Brill!

Spanning the decade and a half (’85-’99) when the de rigeur stateside was Bon Jovi, Hootie & the Blowfish, the Backstreet Boys etc., the Brit Box puts forth a time capsule that answers its own question: “How did British pop music go from the Sex Pistols to Spandeau Ballet in barely 4 years?” Tell me more.

Disc 1 kicks the set off with The Smiths’ groundbreaking, “How Soon Is Now,” redefining the guitar’s rightful place in alternative rock with Marr’s rapturous tremolo swagger… just a taste of things to come. Mighty Lemon Drops, Echo & the Bunnymen, The Wonder Stuff, Trashcan Sinatras, The Sundays, etc.. All bands that I wish I was listening to at the time but in truth, didn’t come around to discovering properly until much later. Highlights include Cocteau Twins’ “Lorelei” (Elizabeth Fraser in all her breathy splendor), The Primitives’ “Crash” (when Candypop done right was oh so delicious), Happy Mondays’ “Step On” (Madchester meets Kongos, hell yes).

And who knew that Shoegaze in its infancy was actually cool (not the trendy, messy-haired confessional “Snoozegaze” of today)? If, like me, you missed it the first go around, Disc 2 (my favorite) will school you proper. My Bloody Valentine, Lush, Catherine Wheel, Teenage Fanclub, etc.. Highlights include Chapterhouse’s “Pearl” (Zeppelin-sample-driven shimmer-haze, dreamy!), The Family Cat “(Thought I’d Died) And Gone to Heaven” (a garage-esque hark-back to the Beatles’ “Rain“), Birdland’s “Shoot You Down” (surely, a band these guys took their cue from).

Getting back to a time where the mere mention of Britpop caused a bona fide, paparazzi-worthy, drug-laced frenzy, Disc 3 justifiably puts infamous rivals Oasis and Blur (easily the better of the two) smack dab in the middle of fellow scene-sters Nick Heyward, Pulp, Echobelly, Supergrass, Elastica, etc. Highlights include James’ “Laid” (obvious but just so freaking great), Stereolab’s “Wow & Flutter” (slightly muffled pop-exotica groove at its finest), Menswear’s “Sleeping In” (skip to 1:40 and keep that tambourine comin’).

In a post-Oasis world, Disc 4 (my least favorite) runs the gamut from Cornershop, The Divine Comedy, and Spiritualized, to The Verve, Placebo, etc. But in spite of co-curator John Hagelston’s admission of “absences beyond our control” (Radiohead, for one), a few highlights: Kula Shaker’s “Tattva” (yummy sitar-singed psychedelic-pop), Super Furry Animals’ “Something 4 the Weekend” (grab-your-acid-and-go-rock), Silver Sun “Service” (lush power-pop all the way… stunning… track not available online).

And if that’s not enough, the 79-page liner notes booklet comes jammed with photos (look out cockatoo-hair dos and a whole lot of eyeliner), gobs of Brit Box-garnered band quotes, and in-depth track by track diagnosis, plus Andrew Perry’s 20-page overview, worth every pretty English word.

Feel free to view a complete track listing here.

The best part is that while I recognized most of the bands, a lot of the actual songs were new to me, excepting the few, choice ringers. A side-effect of US versus UK radio I imagine. Double bonus!

I, for one, am feeling younger already.

© Outlandos MusicTM 2008