The Wipers have a long-standing reputation as sounding like “Jimi Hendrix fronting a garage band,” and while Greg Sage’s nimble fretwork might draw comparisons to Hendrix, the Wipers prove on this disc that they’re far more proficient than any garage band. The pulsating rhythm section manages to sound vibrant but subdued, allowing Sage’s squelching guitar noise to dominate the palette. Unlike other guitar luminaries whose popularity is restrained to a specific audience (e.g., gearheads for Joe Satriani, stoners for Kyuss), Sage’s fretboard ramblings made him the favorite guitar hero of the late-’80s underground rock scene. From the deadly riff of “Taking Too Long” to the textured frustration of “Way of Love” to the ringing desire of “Just a Dream Away,” Sage proves he is both a versatile and unique talent. Not just among the best of the U.S. post-punk wave, but an enormously influential act that made an indelible mark on styles as disparate as the noise rock of Sonic Youth and Pavement’s slacker indie pop. – Ari Wiznitzer