This seminal punk/pop band has been recording brilliant material since the mid-'70s. They're considered one of the most influential bands of their time and have recorded well over 200 songs in the course of their career. And until now, they've never had a greatest hits collection. Well, it's high time.

Upsy Daisy Assortment is a chronological archive of some of XTC's best work, though it does omit two classics -- "Radios in Motion" from White Music and "Are You Receiving Me?" from Go 2. In fact, this compilation skips those first two albums entirely, starting with "Life Begins at the Hop" and "Making Plans For Nigel," both from XTC's American debut, Drums and Wires.

Aside from that, Assortment briefly covers the rest of the XTC catalog. If you've never heard of the band and you want to have a clue about music, you should be interested in starting with this compilation.

Having just broken their nasty contract with Virgin Records, XTC are said to have three albums worth of new material ready for release. Their next record will be their first in six years.

-Ryan Schreiber