|
|
|
BANDS: Punk
& Ska INTERESTS: Venues ETC... About
LOTD
|
Various
Artists: Serving the Best in Rock and Roll
Ive been dreading reviewing this compilation for weeks now. It showed up in my mailbox as unassumingly as anything else would have. Then I realized it was a compilation: granted, this musical format can provide the listener with considerable bang for the buck. Unfortunately, it can also provide a lot of headaches. My glimpse of the cover immediately had me rolling my eyes and muttering under my breath. I know, I know. Dont judge a book (or in this case, an album) by its cover. Right. But honestly, the cover itself seemed to convey just about every problem I have with modern punk (oh yes, I DID just use quotation marks around the precious p-word) and emo: its all a bunch of sad clichs, so predictable it bores me to tears. So, you, dearest LOTD reader, will be pleasantly surprised to hear that many of my initial fears subsided (or were at least put on the back burner) as I popped in the first CD of this two-disc set. The compilation starts off strong with a track by The Green Goblyn Project one of the few bands to be featured more than once on this release. The tune, Blood Spattered Bride (as well as their Devil Skin Suitcase), is a straightforward and rockin piece, full of swagger and spooky imagery. With the second song, the listener is transported to a Slim Cessna show where The Cryptkeeper Fives vocalist and guitarist prove to be rowdier than good ol Slim would ever dare to be. Then theres the Starlits: a grrrl group reminiscent of Slant 6, churning out dirty guitars and earnest declarations of love. Although the other 47 songs of the compilation dont fully maintain the energy, talent, and just plain fun of the first three, there are more than a few highlights. Among the truly frightening moments of unoriginal emo wuss-out and whine-core, the listener is presented with an array of sounds borrowing from such diverse genres as punk, garage rock, rockabilly, and Top 40 Country (?! see The Teen Idols version of When You Say Nothing At All). The Vermin provide Halloween dramatics and catchy guitars on Hotel Psycho. Hearing the Groovie Ghoulies cover of Pet Cemetery is enough to convince me that Billy Corgan is secretly living a double life as a young lad named Kepi, and that hes ready to rock again (in a non-prog kind of way, that is). Sugar Dish provides hard-hitting riot grrrl stylings on the second disc, while Time To Fly attempt some Park Avenue-style emo-pop. The highlight of the entire compilation comes with The Barfeeders: a three man outfit spitting stained and wavering vocals and a lo-fi basement tape recording sound that gives them both charm and street cred. So, for all of you compilation-wary listeners out there, fear no more! The Peephole Records compilation is endless fun for fans of the aforementioned genres and a pleasurable listen for all. And I may even forgive the folks at Peephole for that silly cover photo.
About LOTD Contact/Staff Advertise Home All content © LEFT OFF THE DIAL 2001-2005. All rights reserved. |
