Sideshow by the Seashore

Dean Wareham left Galaxie 500 to form Luna, trading that band's near-unbearable delicacy for something slightly more grounded — still slow, still beautiful, but with a dry wit and a New York looseness Galaxie 500 never had. Penthouse (1995) is their finest record: confident, unhurried, formally perfect.

Sideshow by the Seashore exemplifies Luna in this period — a groove that ambles rather than drives, guitars that decorate rather than insist, Wareham's voice delivering lyrics half-observed and half-invented. The song is content to be exactly what it is. That's rarer than it sounds.

Luna disbanded in 2005 and reformed in 2015. Wareham and bassist Britta Phillips also record as Dean & Britta. The Penthouse era remains their peak — a record that rewards returning to.