Album of the Day

More than four decades after bursting into life in the punk clubs of Los Angeles, X can safely be called one of the City of Angels' greatest musical treasures. Through the years, the foursome has incorporated folk and country influences in its breathless brand of rock, and the 1987 Elektra album SEE HOW WE ARE marks a key moment in their musical evolution. The group's first without founding guitarist Billy Zoom (Tony Gilkyson bends the strings here), the set includes “4th Of July,” which would become an X signature song. Though that one was penned by roots-rock ally Dave Alvin of The Blasters, cuts like “I'm Lost” and the title track show the Exene Cervenka-John Doe writing partnership was only growing stronger. The Deluxe Edition of SEE HOW WE ARE includes four demos of album songs and a great cover of Bob Dylan's “Highway 61 Revisited” as bonus tracks.