Music's better when it's Vulgar

For a long time, The Vulgar Boatmen were out of sight, out of mind. Along with the La's, they were one of those late '80s/early '90s bands that left a meteoric flash in the night sky. And they happened to be, at least partially, from this part of the world. Did anybody know what happened to them?\nWell, as it turned out, the band, co-led by 1980s IU grad students Dale Lawrence and Robert Ray, put out the major label Opposite Sex in 1995 and disappeared. Marking their return with the compilation Wide Awake, to be released Tuesday, they've created a generous 21-song document that introduces those who missed them the first time and reminds those of what they missed.\n"Change the World All Around," "Drive Somewhere" and "Cry Real Tears" are classics no matter how few people have heard them. Lawrence and Ray set desirous and wistful lyrics to hypnotic little guitar riffs and rolling rhythms. Former member/producer Walter Salas-Humara's contribution is missed, but he set the aesthetic: perfect pop and mid-fi production that doesn't feel out of place on a dance floor.\nIt might be the one time where calling something bar band music is a compliment.