The Pedaljets

In a bittersweet, almost mythical case of bad timing, when widespread recognition came calling for the Pedaljets in 1990, few people realized that the celebrated KC quartet had actually just broken up. Much more than a memento of local lore, however, this newly restored version of the band’s second album probably won’t reopen old wounds for fans who pined for the coulda-contended days when the Jets were flying high. That’s because even after 18 years, this music sounds startlingly contemporary and fresh. The Pedaljets had the jangle-bop of the late ’80s down pat. They also wrote superb songs that matched the power and sweep achieved by household-name contemporaries R.E.M. and Huskur Du. This is a lost treasure that was definitely worth digging up.