Dumptruck

Dumptruck leader Seth Tiven writes some of the most downcast lyrics around and then sets them to shimmering pop melodies that either provide reassurance or just make the depression more inviting. That light-and-dark mix has served him well over two decades, and this non-chronological compilation shows he’s maintained his vision. The sound is consistent, even though five band line-ups are represented. (Early co-frontman Kirk Swan gets five songs out of 20, including the stellar “Alone.”) By the time of the mid-’80s college radio hits “Back Where I Belong” and “Going Nowhere,” the band had staked out guitar-led territory somewhere between the Byrds and Television. But Haul of Fame draws equally from Dumptruck’s lesser-known, latter-day albums. The 1993 Days of Fear (represented by the venomous riff slinger “Bad Day”) found the Boston line-up charging back after getting almost bankrupted by a legal battle. And a handful of newer tracks, recorded since Tiven moved to Austin and hooked up with ex-Faces organist Ian MacLagan among other locals, finds them alternately rocking harder and taking on countryish accents. Maybe even acquiring some peace of mind, since this compilation’s title marks the first joke of Dumptruck’s career.