Empire was an offshoot of punk legends Generation X, very influential for the 80s Washington D.C. hardcore and UK neo-psychedelic scenes, acting somehow as the missing link between new wave and grunge. "Expensive Sound" was originally released in 1981, their music was raw, bare, warm -distinct from the glacial, antiseptic pop that would dominate the decade. While "Expensive Sound" may be better known for the bands it inspired - the neo-psychelia of The Stone Roses and the athletic fretwork of Fugazi - they deserve appreciation on its own merits: one of the finest guitar pop records of the era.