Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD)

Casual new-wave fans know OMD as the perky synth-pop group that gave them such stereotypical 1980s stone-washed hits as "If You Leave" and "So In Love." But the band always had one foot in art-school experimentation and European avant-garde rock traditions. On this intriguing B-sides and rarities collection, OMD cover Velvet Underground, give props to Neu! and lay out plenty of pretty, yet somehow unsettling, instrumentals. Numbers like "Her Body in My Soul," "The Avenue," and "Gravity Never Failed" rank among their best.