The Connoisseur Collection's six-volume Indie Scene: The Story of British Independent Music series maps the shift from punk to post-punk and new wave in the U.K. from 1977 to 1982. Focusing on artists who were on fledgling independent labels and thus digging up plenty of otherwise forgotten chips from the late '70s/early '80s fireball, each volume contains plenty enough for voracious neophytes to sink their teeth into. And if you were a scenester back then and need to relive the glory of all those singles your mom threw out while you were at your umpteenth punk festival, these compilations should plug some gaps. The Indie Scene 1979 shows electronic-based acts coming into full bloom, whether it's Cabaret Voltaire's tumbling, jolting, antagonistic and, well, nagging "Nag Nag Nag," Fad Gadget's plodding, percolating "Back to Nature," or Tubeway Army's less abrasive "Are Friends Electric?," a buzzing synth-driven song that strikes a bold contrast when compared to the guitar-led din of their own "That's too Bad," which is included on the 1977 installment of this series. So at this point, experimental cellar dwellers were rising through the cracks while several comparatively established groups were making use of technology that was either sitting around the studio or becoming cheaper to obtain. The bands represented here that weren't so technologically inclined hardly use the ole pop/rock form in less than exciting ways: there's the loony organ-driven mania of the Teardrop Explodes' "Bouncing Babies," the Velvet Underground/Stooges-inspired stomp of Joy Division's "Novelty," and the barbed pop of the Go-Betweens' early "People Say." In addition, the thriving ska revivalism scene gets its say through Madness, the Beat, and Selecter selections. One final notable inclusion is Kirsty MacColl's "They Don't Know," which would be more successful for Tracy Ullman four years later. ~ Andy Kellman, All Music Guide