Harvester

When people write retrospectives about the local music scene, they always mention the Mother Hips yet they invariably neglect to mention Harvester, the other Chico band to get signed to (and dropped from) a major label. It’s a shame, too, because Harvester was one of the finest bands to emerge from Chico—cerebral yet unpretentious, poppy but challenging. Although its members are now scattered across the nation, they still get together to play now and then, and are currently working on new material to be released next year. Luckily, there’s a new collection of odds and ends from the ’90s to tide over the diehards. The inarguable highlight of Kentucky Fried Roberta Bus is Harvester’s jangly take on Guided By Voices’ “I Am a Scientist,” which easily eclipses the morose original. Also of note are a rowdy version of Fleetwood Mac’s “Diane” and a twangy cover of The Jesus & Mary Chain’s “Taste of Cindy.” Although the hodgepodge nature of the disc probably isn’t the best introduction to Harvester, it’s still a worthy listen. Kentucky Fried Roberta Bus can be ordered for $3 postpaid at the Lather Records Web site (www.latherrecords.com).