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Various
Artists: Knowing We Was Right from Da Start
A compilation album is like a fruitcake: no one really likes them, but that doesnt stop people from making them. A compilation album is like a pizza with everything on it: theoretically, its a combination of distinct flavors that come together to create a unique and compelling whole, but really, you just want to pick most of the crap off. A compilation album is like a government: it is supposed to be representative of its parts, as well as those parts as a symbol of a whole, but it usually fails on both counts. What Im getting at here is that I dont like compilation albums in general. They almost never satisfy: sure, there are probably some good songs on there somewhere, but you have to wade through three feet of filler to get to them. Label compilations are even trickier, as theres no theme to tie the album together, other than, Hey, we all get paid by the same person! Unless every single band on the label sounds exactly the same, theres going to be a lack of cohesion for the listener, and unless the label has managed to collect an unusually talented group of musicians, there are going to be variations in quality as well. So with my prejudices in mind, lets get to work. This is a label compilation from 555 Records, run by Stewart Anderson, head honcho of Boyracer and numerous other musical acts. As far as I could tell, every track on here has been previously released. You get three different kinds of 555 bands: the lo-fi pop band, the lo-fi experimental electronic music band, and the bands that are some combination of the two. The biggest names other than Boyracer are wacky electronic prankster Kid 606, who turns in two tracks from the slightly more musical, melodic side of his split personality, and shambling 60s revivalists the Aislers Set, who exhibit a wide spectrum of influences by mixing Be My Baby by the Ronettes with Then I Kissed Her by the Beach Boys. Hood contribute the excellent (The) Weight, which takes a mopey guitar song and digitally manipulates it with rhythmic skipping and echoing sounds, and the Hood-related Remote Viewer add one of the untitled tracks from their self-titled debut, in which a lonely dot matrix printer learns to play keyboards. And thats about it for the pluses. The main problem with the rest is a lack of sonic variation; after the fourth or fifth band that strums minor-key acoustic guitar and mumbles over a recycled hip-hop beat from 1990, everything blends together into a funkless, formless glop. Im not sure if its a problem with song selection for this comp or with the 555 roster in general, but the impression Im left with is a community of sadsacks who are too depressed to actually write interesting songs.
You can buy this album from the 555 Recordings Official Website About LOTD Contact/Staff Advertise Home All content © LEFT OFF THE DIAL 2001-2005. All rights reserved. |
