|
|
|
BANDS: Punk
& Ska INTERESTS: Venues ETC... About LOTD
|
Various Artists: Dreaming up the Perfect Pop
This compilation assembled by Planting Seeds Records in Virginia Beach boasts 21 contemporary artists who come from all around the world but seem to share a pretty coherent vision of what makes a simple pop record fun. I'm not sure who dreamed up this compilation, but it is a great way to expose a ton of unfamiliar artists in a project that's very enjoyable to listen to. I recognized a few artists here like The Essex Green, The Mendoza Line, Astropop 3, and The Maybellines, and they all give the solid performances I was hoping for. The whole album is so homogeneous though, that I probably couldn't have picked those artists out from the rest of the batch without the track listing. Basically the whole album hits up a sort of lounge-styled pop vibe that keeps a consistent, perky mood, but the variety of artists helps to keep things interesting. Speaking of lounge, the one track here that is a bit distinct is Dakota Suite's six-minute instrumental offering "The Colour of Water" which is placed right near the end of the album for an interesting touch. Most every other song is two or three minutes of mellow harmonies and cute lyrics. Both male and female vocalists are all over this album, often in the same tracks, and I'd say the album definitely achieves its purpose. There are lots of terrible compilations out there where artists on the same label or with some common affiliation clash terribly in their styles of music, but this comes off much more like a meticulously pieced together mix-tape where the finished product is stronger than just the sum of its parts. OK, so the album's good, but with 21 artists there's got to be some tracks that stand out right? Oddly enough I was a bit taken with a track by A DC band with the cheeky title of The Dupont Circles. Their song "Heaven Holler" has something hypnotic about it as the soft and grounded vocals anchor the rolling guitar melodies like a string holding a balloon on a windy day. Another favorite of mine is by Boston artist Paula Kelley who gives us "All Request Hour." She comes off here with a vocal and guitar solo that reminds me of Jane Wiedlin and the track alternates an energetic chorus with a somewhat somber refrain. This track is followed up immediately by The Snow Fairies song "The Lonely Cartographer," which brings back pleasant memories of The Softies to me and features some pretty slick guitar picking as well. Michael Barrett offers up a song called "Dreamer" which conjures up the classic pop style of The Turtles in a cute way, and Marykate O'Neil has a sweet little track called "Mundane Dream" that includes some quirky reverb keyboard for a fabulous effect. One of the artists here is from Shelflife Records called Souvenir, and they throw out a nice French pop song that helps keep the lounge theme strong. In fact, I remember hearing a compilation on Shelflife records about three or four years ago that reminds me so much of this compilation that it's scary, but I know that many of the artists here are different from the artists on that old album. But if you happen to know the Shelflife record, this is a great compilation to hunt down for a sequel. And if none of these bands or labels ring a bell to you, you still might want to consider buying this album, which is guaranteed to have a few tracks that will brighten your day!
This album can be purchased atAmazon Planting Seeds Records Official Website About LOTD Contact/Staff Advertise Home All content © LEFT OFF THE DIAL 2001-2005. All rights reserved. |
