[V/A] - "Asaurus Records EP Club #2" cd  (Asaurus)
Asaurus Records has recently started an "EP Club", which takes four songs from four groups (mostly home-recorded bedroom pop), and compiles them onto a disc, with a new one to come out every other month. This is the second installment, and features four songs each from the National Splits, New Grenada, The Pizazz and Me Low. First up is the National Splits, and their songs here actually seem a little lower-fi than usual, but still in the same acoustic, country-influenced vein. "The Revival Of An Evening" stands out as the winner of the bunch. The excellent New Grenada from Detroit are up next, with "Concussion" from their recent "Hot War" ep, a demo version of "Lazer Blast" from the same ep, and two previously unreleased songs in the same indie rock style ("Critical" is particularly Archers Of Loaf-ish). The sound on the disc started pretty lo-fi, but it hits a new low with the Pizazz songs, which are best described as fairly amateur-ish noisy garage rock which sound like M.O.T.O., but not as good. Not to say it's all bad, though - "Thanks, Knife" and half of "Poor Monkey" are actually pretty good, but the rest is rather unlistenable. Me Low is your typical "a boy and his guitar" type stuff, with an obvious Sean Tollefson influence (and similarities to Shrimper's Buzzsaw, as well). "Train Tracks" and "Clouds Have Teeth" were good, but I wasn't too into the other two.   MTQ=10/16

[V/A] - "Library Records 1998-2003" dbl cd  (Library)
Serving as an annotated history of Library Records, these two discs compile 44 songs from pretty much every Library release (only omitting the two compilations and the two recent Cat's Miaow collections). The first disc is an assortment of 22 songs from all eleven 7"s, including every A-side (and even some of the b-sides!) from Stinky Fire Engine, the Shapiros, Pencil Tin, Sweet William, Robert Cooper, Huon, Other People's Children, Mark Narkowicz, Tugboat, and Sleepy Township, as well as an added bonus of two songs from the aborted Bowlarama 7" (very sad to know that this brilliant record never saw the light of day). All of the Library singles were consistently good (not to mention criminally overlooked, in some cases), so naturally, this collection flows along wonderfully. The second disc starts out with one song from each of the eight full-length discs on Library, including Robert Cooper, Sleepy Township, Bart & Friends, Other People's Children, The Shapiros, Tugboat, Mark Narkowicz and Mia Schoen. Even if you have all of the Library releases so far, this collection is essential, because next come 14 songs from various abandoned projects and unrealized ideas, including new songs from some of the above bands (like Sleepy Township, Robert Cooper, Mark Narkowicz, Stinky Fire Engine and Huon), as well as other bands like Sister Cities, Claire Birchall, Royal Chord, Upstairs (pre-Tugboat) and Andrew Withycombe (of Cat's Miaow/Hydroplane/Huon). Some of the latter songs have been previously released on non-Library discs, but the rest appear here for the first time. It's a rather ambitious project, but the whole package comes together quite well, and serves as a fitting representation of this great Australian label.   MTQ=38/44

[V/A] - "Hey! Where'd The Summer Go?" cd  (Humblebee)
Since Edmonton doesn't really have much to offer in the way of summer, Humblebee Recordings has taken it upon themselves to kickstart the season with an excellent compilation disc full of terrific indiepop tunes from around the globe (with bands hailing from Canada and the US, as well as Finland, Sweden, Australia, UK, Philippines, and Brazil). Several of the bands' songs are taken from other releases (including Sleepy Township, Lil' Hospital, State Of Samuel, Paper Moon, and the Film Stills), but there are plenty of brand new songs on this disc to make it more than worth it. Postal Blue turn in one of their first recordings in years - "Rainy Day", which is a breezy Rileys-ish song (and Adriano's other band, Adelie, makes its welcome debut as well!). A trio of short, upbeat songs from Sweden (by the Fermats, Myredpocketbook and the Busy Band) are nestled nicely in the middle. Columbus, the Service Economy, and Champion, Alberta - all new bands to my ears - each turn in quality songs as well. And I haven't even mentioned the great new songs from Evie, Miss July, National Splits, Ultrasport, Snow Fairies, Liberty Ship, and Broken Hearts Club yet! In just under an hour, this comp effectively conveys the summer feeling, and is pretty much enjoyable all the way through!   MTQ=23/24

[V/A] - "Datawaslost: Beep Click Strum Sing" cd  (Datawaslost)
The fourth compilation released by the Cincinnati label, Datawaslost, this disc collects songs from varying genres from various parts of the world (though mostly from the US). Some of the songs have an electronic bent (as that seems to be the label's speciality), but there is a fair share of more standard indie rock/indiepop as well. Many of the songs are exclusive to this disc, but unfortunately, there's just not a lot of great stuff on here. My favorites included the good driving electronica from Coltrane Motion, the catchy "Eskimo" from Spectacular Fantastic (one of the few previously released tracks, so I hope there's more to hear from them), the noisy pop of Post-Haste and the delicate acoustic track from Gossett, not to mention the new songs from bigger names like Saturday Looks Good To Me and the Minders. But there were too many dull songs on here, like the cut-n-paste of Velcro One, the very Slint-ish Hilltop Distillery and the sludgy southern rock of the Sundresses. The Looper song could only interest someone with a fetish for hearing Scottish people speak, and the songs from Bishop Allen & Tullycraft were good, but both album tracks. I'm grateful to this comp for introducing me to a few new good bands, but overall, it's largely forgettable.   MTQ=9/17

[V/A] - "The Sound Of Leamington Spa Vol. 4" cd  (Firestation)
After three outstanding volumes of the "Sound Of Leamington Spa" series, there's no sign of slowing down on this fourth installment! Collecting twenty more brilliant tracks from the lesser-known guitar-pop groups of the late 80s, this disc is every bit as enjoyable as the last three. This time around, we have some more well-known groups, like Clouds ("Get Out Of My Dream", taken from one of my favorite Subway releases), Hellfire Sermons (who have enjoyed a bit of a revival, thanks to the Bus Stop retrospective), Dislocation Dance, and the Submarines. And of course, there are loads of groups that even I hadn't heard of before, including the fantastic 35 Summers, Marteens, Johnny Says Yeah!, Beethoven's Kiss and Nautical William, among other amazing groups. And, along with the excellent tracks on the disc, there is as much information in the booklet for each band that could be dug up, which makes for an interesting and informative read in many cases. I'd love to own each and every one of these original releases, but until I win the lottery, I'm quite happy with just having this.   MTQ=20/20

[V/A] - "This Is Popkonst!" cd  (Popkonst)
Our favorite new Swedish mailorder is also now a label! This is their second release, and it's a compilation cd-r packed with 30 songs culled from some of the releases stocked in the mailorder. Yeah, pretty much all of the songs are previously released (though some are simply taken from limited demo cd-rs), but this plays like an excellent mix tape, with almost every song a hit! All of the bands are Swedish (except for Ant), and the disc includes a few old favorites like Free Loan Investments & Nixon; lots of recent favorites, like Dorotea, the Fermats (with a hilarious song about computer programmers), Funday Mornings, Second-hand Furniture, Javelins and Hormones In Abundance; and a ton of bands that I hadn't heard or even heard of until now, like Giraff På Engelska, De Stijl, Sorayas, Flu, Happy Go Lucky and Världspremiär! There's lots of new music to take in here (most of it quite good), and this is one of the best ways to sample the best in the new wave of Swedish indiepop!   MTQ=23/30

[V/A] - "Falling Uphill" cd  (Windless Air)
It's funny - if I had just seen this compilation's tracklisting, I would've told you it was from the mid to late 90s, and probably a cassette comp from England or Germany, at that. The list contains names that I haven't heard in ages, like Barbara Manning, the Bartlebees, the Television Personalities, Amanda By Night and Rockformation Diskokugel (the latter two of which I didn't know even existed anymore!). Of course, I would've also noticed current bands like the Baskervilles, the Long Decline and Angel Racing Food, but there are so many names I've never even heard of, that I bet I could've been easily tricked. This is one of those comps that is simply a collection of the compiler's favorite bands, and it's pretty obvious to see that he's a very big fan of the Television Personalities and the many bands and labels that the band has influenced from classics like the Bartlebees and Little Teddy to newer bands like the Big Empty, Milton Fisher and, well, most of the other bands from around the world that appear on this disc. In fact, I'm quite surprised to not see any of the Perfect Pop crew represented here! Highlights include the tracks from Woog Riots, Sixtynine And The Continuous People, Katze (imagine A Boy Named Thor as a full band), Container Drivers and Rockformation Diskokugel, though there are many more. A must for fans of offbeat European pop!   MTQ=15/20

[V/A] - "Boompa Volume 1" cd  (Boompa)
You may have heard of Boompa before, as they've released the most recent albums from the Lucksmiths, Salteens and Sekiden up in Canada, but this compilation shows that they have a lot more up their sleeve! This disc is made up mostly of unreleased tracks from current and future Boompa artists, as well as a few previously released songs. We get off to a solid start with a song from an early Sekiden EP, followed by a sample of the upcoming second full-length from Kiddo (which is fabulous!). The next couple songs come from the two most recent Boompa releases, Run Chico Run & Billy And The Lost Boys - the former is an organ-led song that can only be described as "mad" (in every sense of the word), while the latter is more of a punky tune. The next several songs are all from bands that are either future Boompa artists or just friends of the label (the liner notes could've been a little more descriptive...), with higlights including Sparrow (the new project from Jason Zumpano), Reverie Sound Revue (who sound very Swedish, similar to the Cardigans or the Concretes), the Dirtmitts and a delightfully low-key song from Ladies & Gentlemen. The disc closes with a song from the last Lucksmiths record and an alternate version of "Time You Have Been Wasting" by the Salteens from a tour-only EP (which is followed by a pair of hidden live Salteens songs). If this disc is any indication, there's lots to look forward to from this label!   MTQ=11/14

[V/A] - "Happy Happy Birthday To Me (Vol. 3)" cd  (Happy Happy Birthday To Me)
Happy Happy Birthday To Me is quickly becoming one of my favorite labels, expanding its predominantly Elephant 6-descended/inspired roster to include varying bands from Athens and the rest of the world, including Bugs Eat Books, Boyracer, Men In Fur and more. This compilation showcases this growth by including bands such as the Shermans, Bidston Moss, Lake Holiday, Jen Turrell, Laura Watling, Suretoss, and the Maybellines, along with the usual fare from 63 Crayons, Poison Control Center, Orchid Pool, Elekibass, Sunshine Fix and the Loch Ness Mouse on this absolutely fantastic 30-song compilation disc! Hands down, this is the best compilation of the year, as just about every song is perfectly catchy and fun! Pretty much every song is exclusive to this disc - all but Bugs Eat Books and the Tables, as far as I can tell. The highlights are too numerous to mention, but in addition to the bands above, you'll also find great tunes from Moogle Charm, Ethnobabes, Apartment Star, Friends Of Sound (yay - they're still around!), Love Letter Band, Casper & The Cookies, Her Majesty's Orchestra, Miss July, and oh so many more! Oh, and I really can't conclude this review without mentioning the adorable artwork from Snoozie featuring jellybean-shaped cats - everyone who we've showed it to has loved it!   MTQ=29/30

[V/A] - "Cwistmas Twee" cd  (Total Gaylord)
I've got a confession to make - I can't stand the word "twee". It drives me absolutely crazy, and I would never freely admit to anyone that I listened to "twee" music. So, naturally, I cringed a bit when I saw the title of this comp. Still, this is probably one of the better Xmas-related comps that I've heard (and I have a surprising number for someone who doesn't even care for the holiday), up there with the Kindercore comps. Many of the bands on this come from the New England indiepop scene, like Snoozer, Shumai, Colin Clary and the Smittens, along with some friends of the label, including Lil' Hospital, the Diskettes, the Icicles and Thee Moths. There were a few bands I'd never heard of, as well, including Spoilsport and the Specific Heats, both of whom I'd certainly like to hear more from! However, even though the liner notes suggest you support the bands and visit their websites, it forgets to include any contact information. Whoops! The best thing about this compilation, though, is that all the songs are originals - no covers of traditional Xmas songs, although not every song is strictly holiday-related (a few are just snow/winter-themed). A couple duds on here (like the boring, bleepy Thee Moths tune), but overall a pleasant addition to the holiday.   MTQ=8/11

[V/A] - "Sunsets And Silhouettes" cd  (Planting Seeds)
Following up the brilliant "Dreaming Up The Perfect Pop" compilation, this disc collects slow and somber songs from artists and friends of the label. The artwork matches the feel of the disc well, both the pictures and the tracklist's division between "Sunset" and "Silhouette" songs. The first half of the disc is made up of the poppier yet still melancholic tunes from the likes of Fonda (sounding remarkably like Marine Research), Astropop 3 (the fantastic "Anything" from their last record), Mark Gardener (with a very Fleetwood Mac-ish tune) and Pinkie (with a cover of the Brilliant Corners' "She's Dead"). The second half consists of songs that are a bit more stark, like Linda Draper, Dakota Suite and Asteroid #4, though it's not an even split, as I think the Autumn Leaves & Tracy Shedd songs would've fit more on the first side, while the Camera Obscura song (a quiet live version of "Books Written For Girls") would've been the correct starting place for the second half. There are some fine songs on here, like some of the ones listed above, as well as the submissions from the Voyces (who I hadn't heard before) and the Sixth Great Lake, but there are a number of songs which I found a bit dull (Goldrush and Michael Barrett, for example). Overall, it's a nice compilation, but only if you're in the right mood for it...   MTQ=11/18

[V/A] - "Below The Radio" cd  (Ultra)
Okay, this is a pretty strange release. The first time I saw it, I thought it was a new Grandaddy record, as that's the way it's packaged; but when you look at the back, you find it's actually just a compilation. Not a compilation, but more of a mix tape. Put together by Jason from Grandaddy, and filled with bands that he's friends with or just admires. Though it seems like an odd concept, if you think about it, a lot of compilations are kinda like mix tapes made from label owners; you just don't usually put a single band name on the cover and spine... Anyways, this disc contains a mix of bands that (not surprisingly) fit in pretty much the same laidback vein as Grandaddy, including big names like Beulah, Pavement, Beck, Earlimart, Fruit Bats, Blonde Redhead, and Snow Patrol (a band I wouldn't normally compare to Grandaddy, though this song fits the mold), as well as lesser-known groups like Little Wings, Golden Boy, Jackpot, Giant Sand and Home (though the last two are kinda legendary, though not well-known). Most, if not all, of these songs are taken from albums or EPs, though the final track from Grandaddy is new to this release. Despite the unconventionality of this disc, I find that it flows together very well, and it even introduced me to a few new bands, as well as bands that I knew of, but didn't appreciate (for example, the Beck song here was quite enjoyable, though I never liked him before). Thanks for the mix tape, Jason!   MTQ=10/15

[V/A] - "The Matinée Winter Warmer" cd  (Matinee)
To complete the collection of seasonal Matinée samplers, here's the winter installation! Unlike the other samplers, which were really just named for what time of year they came out, this disc is actually compiled of winter-themed tunes. From previous releases, we have the Fairways' delightful "Winter Song", the soft and snowy "I Dream Of Angels" from Lovejoy, "When It Was Winter" from the Windmills, "Baked Alaska" from Slipslide, and the Pines' "High Street" (which originally appeared on a limited Xmas EP). The other half of the disc is comprised of brand new songs from the other half of the active Matinée roster, including the Lucksmiths, Pipas, Liberty Ship, Harper Lee, and a fairly irritating adaptation of "Jingle Bells" from the Melodie Group. But now I have to wonder - will the Matinée samplers start with spring again, or will there be a new running theme to them?   MTQ=8/10

[V/A] - "A Houseguest's Wish" cd  (Words On Music)
The concept behind this album (a collection of nineteen bands covering Wire's "Outdoor Miner") may seem really odd, but when you look at the band in focus (one that once released an album full of different versions of one of their songs), it doesn't seem so odd after all. However, I will say that listening to this disc all the way through is a test of determination. Don't get me wrong, I love the original song - adore it, even - but listening to nineteen different versions all in a row should win me a prize or something. Despite that, there are some really good versions on this, from the straight-forward poppy versions from Titania & Typewriter to the noisy version by Flying Saucer Attack to the lush version from Kick On The Floods, not to mention the excellent entries from Laura Watling, Meeting Places, Adam Franklin, Lush, Experimental Aircraft, The Sems and Above The Orange Trees. I didn't love all of the entries, but with a project like this, I think it's more important to provide variety than try to please everyone, so it was interesting to hear a bluegrass version from Christian Kiefer and a folk version from Sharron Kraus (and I'm not even counting the less-interesting interpretations from bands like Junetile and Polar). If you're at all fond of the original song, then this will definitely be a treat to listen to!   MTQ=12/19

[V/A] - "Tiny Idols" cd  (Snowglobe)
Modeling itself after the Nuggets compilations of 60s garage rock, this is the first (and the optimistic start of a series) collection of mostly obscure American indie rock bands from the early 90s. Overall, I think it's a fantastic idea, being a fan of similar series like "Shake Some Action" and "Teenline", although I feel that this disc puts a little too much focus on the weird and lo-fi indie stuff like Chotchke and Medusa Cyclone, and not enough on the poppier stuff coming out at the time, but maybe that's for another volume. Like its predecessors, this disc steers away from bands on the bigger labels of the era (Merge, Teenbeat, K, etc), and concentrates on more unknown bands and labels (I actually haven't heard of a few of these bands!), although there are a few big names like Allen Clapp, Bunnygrunt, Further, Nothing Painted Blue and the Sneetches. Besides the songs I already knew and loved, favorites included the Strapping Fieldhands (oh, this song brings back some memories!), Sunhead and Uncle Wiggly. The best thing about this disc, though, is the inclusion of informative blurbs about the release and each of the 20 bands, which is very important with compilations of this type.   MTQ=14/20

[V/A] - "Completed 2004" cd  (Blind Pigeon)
I honestly haven't heard of a single band on this compilation (and believe me, that's really saying something!), but sometimes that's the best kind. The cover states that this is a collection of songs from local acts, but neglects to mention where that actually is, so I can only assume that it's in Pennsylvania somewhere, as that's where it was produced and mastered. The general sound is rock and roll (some indie rock, some not), with some punk/garage mixed in as well. I can't say that it's very consistent (area compilations rarely are), but there are definitely a fair number of songs on here that suggest that the scene near Orwigsburg, PA is a pretty good one. Stand-outs include the catchy indie rock tunes from Poleline & Gleason's Drift, the good acoustic pop from Bob Oettl, and the country-influenced pop from the Dry Spells. There were a few songs I wasn't too into, but only a couple that I actively disliked (Sinking Spring and Astronaut Jones come to mind). Not a bad comp, overall, and a lot better than some area compilations I've heard.   MTQ=11/18

[V/A] - "A House Full Of Friends" dbl cd  (Magic Marker)
An amazing compilation on so many levels, this two disc collection contains songs from just about every band that has played the famous Magic Marker house in Portland over the years. Having been to some of those shows, this brings back a lot of great memories of crowded living rooms, kickball games and just the general good times we had at those shows. This is not just a who's who of NW indiepop (with the Thermals, Shins, Tullycraft, Decemberists, Salteens, Crabs, All Girl Summer Fun Band, Minders, Dennis Driscoll, and loads more), but also of indiepop from around the world, with the Lucksmiths, Poundsign, Galactic Heroes, Aerospace, Mates Of State, Masters Of The Hemisphere, Bartlebees, and way too many more to simply list. Few of the shows were recorded, so none of these songs are live (except for the Softies track), but rather an even split between previously released and exclusive songs. Plus, there are dozens of pictures from the events, as well as a guide to putting on your own house show (to help influence and encourage people to have a "Magic Marker house" in their own town)! I know it's only April, but I'm certain that this is a shoe-in for the best compilation of 2005!   MTQ=32/34

[V/A] - "Homemade Hits, Vol. 2" cd  (Kittridge)
The second volume of Kittridge's successful collection of home-recorded songs, this one branches out a bit from the first one to include a few bands from around the world, though it's still predominantly American bands. And like the first volume, this cd proves that just because it says home-recorded doesn't mean it's lo-fi! Sure, the songs vary in quality, but some of them sound quite good, given the medium. There are some big (well, relatively big, that is) names on here, like Boyracer, Rocketship (although they turn in a very disappointing throwaway electro track), Moon Socket (his first released recordings in years!), A Boy Named Thor, Sleepy Township, Golden Gram (Gram of Rogue Wave), Seadiver (fka Lunchbox), Scrabbel, Poison Control Center and Busytoby. Again, as before, there are many different styles of music here from indiepop to electroclash to punk rock to unlistenable noise (hello, Gang Wizard). And there are also a bunch of bands I hadn't previously heard before, but quite enjoyed, like Olympia's Thunder! Thunder! Thunder!, who remind me of Spraydog, and the Futureheads-ish Ben, Pete & Steve. Plus, most, if not all, of the tracks are exclusive to this release! I can't say it's consistently good, but there's still lots of great stuff to choose from on this disc!   MTQ=18/28

[V/A] - "One Scene To Another" cd  (Plumline)
Oh man, anyone who knows me knows I am a Canadian indie rock fanatic, so it should be no surprise that this collection of covers from Detroit-area Canadian pop fans is right up my alley! All of the biggies are covered here, including Sloan, Eric's Trip, Thrush Hermit (and Joel Plaskett), Super Friendz (but no Flashing Lights), Jale, Zumpano, and the criminally overlooked Inbreds (as well as the Hardship Post, Plumtree and Hayden). Since I knew most of the songs being covered (which doesn't seem to happen to often with these kind of things), it was interesting to see what the bands did with the songs. Some bands radically change the songs (like the loungey piano version of "Money City Maniacs" by Mood Elevator or W-Vibe's crazy electro version of Thrush Hermit's "French Inhale"), while others stick close to the original (see Tiny Steps's version of the Super Friendz' "10 Lbs." or Ten Words For Snow's excellent rendition of Zumpano's "I Dig You"), with some bands doing a good job of making the songs like their own (like New Grenada's and the Recital's versions of "Smother" and "Follow" by Eric's Trip). Other highlights come from Anthony Rochon, the Trembling, and the Pop Project. Fellow fanatics will find many of these covers interesting, but even if you don't know the originals, there is certainly enough on here for anyone to enjoy!   MTQ=12/16

[V/A] - "Planet Of The Popboomerang 2" dbl cd  (Popboomerang)
If you didn't already know, "Planet Of The Popboomerang" is the label's collection of power pop from around the world, as a companion to its "Shake Yer Popboomerang", which focuses on just Australian bands (although the Planet comps usually have a fair number of top Aussie groups, as well). With 46 songs on two discs, this is Scotty's most ambitious project to date, and this collection is of the same high quality as the last ones. The second disc focuses just on bands from the US, while the first one covers the rest of the world. Most of the bands included aren't the biggest names in power pop (although there are some, like Cosmic Rough Riders, Michael Carpenter and the Lolas), but if you're a casual fan of the genre, you'll recognize a good number of them, with some of the better ones including Kelly's Heels, Jeremy, Florapop, American Suitcase (sung in their native Norwegian, no less!), the Richies and my good friends the Dutch Elms (hey hey!); and I'm barely scratching the surface with that list... And like the previous Popboomerang comps, there are a bunch of new names to hear, with highlights including Ricky, Scrambled Eggs (the third fantastic French group I've heard this year - is France starting to get a good power pop scene?), Lemon Clocks, Paul Vallen, Chris Richards, and Herb Eimerman among others. The only problem I really had with the compilation was that a few too many songs seemed a bit too alt-pop to me (see Milli Davis, Brian Jay Cline or Chris Murphy - no, not the one from Sloan), and though there's sometimes a fine line between alt-pop and power pop, I love the latter and can't stand the former. Still, with so many excellent tunes (and many of them exclusive to this release!), this is easily a bargain for anyone!   MTQ=35/46

[V/A] - "Guitar Sketch" cd  (Quince)
Here's a new international pop compilation from one of the top Japanese indiepop labels, who have been bringing us fine indiepop from around the world for about a decade. Included on this disc are songs from some of the label's groups, like Paper Moon, Seashells, Carrots, Fonda, Club 8 and Ally Kerr, as well as a bunch of other fine tunes by other groups from around the world (most of them in or near the lush or soft-pop vein - you're more likely to find a string section than a distorted guitar in these songs!), like Mascott, Language Of Flowers, Heavy Blinkers, Evening Lights, and Carnival Park. There are even a number of songs from bands that I've not yet heard, some great (like the Birdie-ish Tiger Baby and Hollow Horse, who remind me a little of Speedboat or the Radio Sweethearts), some not so great (I really didn't like the coffeehouse-styled vocals in the song by Fine!). Some of these songs are taken from other releases, but many of the songs (or in some cases, versions of them) are unique to this disc. All in all, a very nice indiepop compilation!   MTQ=14/17

[V/A] - "Don't You Know... It's Last Year's Youth" cd  (Wizzard In Vinyl)
Wizzard In Vinyl has been getting into the mod/punk reissue game more lately, and that's welcome news to me! This disc is interesting, as it's actually a collection of reissues: over the last few years, Last Year's Youth Records released a series of limited 7"s of classics from lesser known 70s mod/punk bands like Rudi, The Now, Fast Cars, UXB, The Carpettes and more. Those quickly went out of print, of course, and this disc compiles the A-sides (aw, no b-sides?!) from the first sixteen 45s in that series. Some of these songs have appeared on similar comps like "Powerpearls" before ("The Kids Just Wanna Dance" by Fast Cars has been a favorite of mine for years), but there are plenty that were new to my ears, like the excellent "14 Steps" by Rudi and "Crazy Today" by UXB. Some of the songs are more on the punky side (think the Undertones/Adverts rather than the Jam/Chords) - and a couple were probably best left in the vaults (especially the Jerks and Accident On The East Lancs tracks) - but overall, it's a decent collection, even if it is lacking in liner notes (unless you can read Japanese). If you're pretty new to the mod/punk scene, I'd start with the superb "Shake Some Action" series, but the more rabid fans (like myself) will definitely find more than enough gems on this disc.   MTQ=13/16

[V/A] - "Sound Of Leamington Spa Vol. 5" cd  (Firestation)
I can't really think of a compilation/reissue series packaged as well as the "Sound Of Leamington Spa" series. Not only is just about every song top-notch, but there's a short biography/writing from each of the bands (usually about twenty, give or take a few). Also, this fifth volume seems to have more previously unreleased songs on it than the others, including the original version of "Boy Meets World" from the debut Action Painting! 7", a song from a group called Perfect that never actually got around to releasing anything, and a song from This Poison! that would've been exclusive, had the band's retrospective on Egg Records not come out at the same time. The sound of these bands is the same late-80s British jangly pop that's typical for these compilations, though there are a few exceptions, like the VU-ish lo-fi sound of the Shrew Kings, the Steely Dan-ish track from Incredible Blondes and the song from Kid Sinister (one of the few I didn't enjoy) that sounded way too much like Spandau Ballet. Some of the disc's many highlights include old favorites like Nine Steps To Ugly (whose "Eddie Lopez Lives In Slough" is one of the few songs I'd actually heard before) and Men Of Westnesse, as well as a bevy of new discoveries, like A Strange Desire, Wildhouse, The Thieves (featuring a pre-Cosmic Rough Riders Daniel Wylie), Gradapenda Rosindale (the "youngest" band, as this recordings is from '93) and the afore-mentioned Perfect. Another fine entry in the finest of indiepop-reissue series!   MTQ=16/19

[V/A] - "Now We Are Three" cd  (Lil' Chief)
Now that the Brunettes are starting to get some attention, this is a great time for their home label in New Zealand to showcase some of their other fine bands. This sampler features songs from eleven of the label's releases from the last three years, including a few from the Brunettes, as well as six other bands I'd never heard of before (well, besides Alec Bathgate, of course). The disc starts off with a fine, soft tune from the Tokey Tones, who remind me a lot of the recent Club 8 material. The Brunettes follow with the title track from the label's debut release, "Holding Hands, Feeding Ducks", then a song from the Nudie Suits, who sound vaguely Pavement-ish. Next up is Shaft, with a pleasant soft-pop tune, then a track from the last Brunettes record, followed by more from the Nudie Suits and the Tokey Tones. Alec Bathgate gives us a swirly pop song, then the Brunettes give us "Maybe White Palisades", which is also a pleasant soft pop song, although it starts with a very unpleasant and irritating rap. Closing the disc is a lushly orchestrated song from Edmund Cake and a nice, jangly tune from Ryan McPhun and The Ruby Suns. Now maybe some of these other groups can work their way over to the US...   MTQ=8/11

[V/A] - "More Soul Than Wigan Casino" 7"  (Fortuna Pop!)
The title of this 7" has been the label's mantra pretty much since the beginning (although I never actually knew what it meant until I visited the country!), so it seems natural for them to release this, a collection of soul covers. We start things off with Kicker, who give us a fantastic, spirited song called "Since You Left", which actually doesn't sound too different from their originals. The Butterflies Of Love are up next, with "Two Lovers", a Mary Wells hit penned by Smokey Robinson. Comet Gain follow (no surprise there, as they're one of the bands that helped introduce northern soul to the indie kids almost a decade ago) with a reworking of a Dena Barnes tune, featuring updated lyrics. Airport Girl close off the single with "Lipstick Traces (On A Cigarette)", which sounds more like a Television Personalities ballad than an O'Jays song. And for you vinyl-phobes, this is also available as a cd single, so check it out!   MTQ=3/4

[V/A] - "Handmade" cd  (Anorak)
True to its title, this disc collects home-recorded songs from a handful of French groups, none of which I'd heard of, apart from Doggy, who's debut cd was released by the label a couple years ago. What's funny, is that among the other five bands, Doggy are the one who sound slightly out of place, with their Felt-like sophisticated guitar pop (not to mention the fact that they're the only band to sing in their native language). The rest of the bands have a more acoustic sound, ranging from the acoustic pop of Skittle Alley (my favorite of the unknowns) and Pornboy to the folk of M. Milton and Start to the bizarre no-fi sound of Dead TV Star (who I didn't care much for, although their "Dead Drunk" was pretty good). Each of the bands gets three songs a piece (except for the final participant, Start, who gets two), which is a great idea, as it gives you a better idea of their range of sounds (or lack thereof, in the case of a couple bands). A good introduction to the French lo-fi pop scene!   MTQ=11/17

[V/A] - "Our Hearts Beat Out Of Tune" cd  (Yellow Mica)
After 20 mostly excellent releases, we're now treated to a 15-song compilation of hits from bands on the Yellow Mica label (and then some!). Though the label and most of its artists are based in Sweden, there are also groups from the US and Canada. This disc features a variety of sounds from the noise pop of Boyracer, Javelins and the Capstan Shafts to the shambling pop sound of the Youth Untold, the Haircuts, Second-Hand Furniture and August Schwartz to the lighter pop sound of Happy Go Lucky, We Are Soldiers We Have Guns and Birds Of Galapagos. Best of all, almost every song on this disc is unreleased, except for a song from a Tokyo Eye 7", and alternate versions of tunes from the Diskettes and the Youth Untold. This disc is a great way to get acquainted with the label and hear a bunch of great new songs from its bands!   MTQ=11/15

[V/A] - "Mile" cd  (Hush)
Celebrating seven years of releasing records, and also its 50th release, this compilation features songs from fourteen of the label's artists, including old favorites like Kind Of Like Spitting, the Decemberists (who contribute a song recorded a few years back), Blanket Music, Jeff London, Norfolk & Western and Reclinerland, along with new faces like Esperanza Spalding, Bobby Birdman, the Graves and Toothfairy (although the latter two are made up of Hush regulars). All of the songs are unreleased, though a couple are taken from forthcoming records, and the styles range from somber acoustic singer/songwriter stuff to laptop pop to even a bit of jazz. I didn't like everything, but there were definitely enough high points to maintain my interest. Really, this is no different than Hush's previous collections, except along with the 14-track compilation, the disc also contains an additional 36 songs in good-quality mp3 format, most of which are taken from the label's early out of print releases, with a few unreleased gems mixed in. Along with the extensive (and interesting) liner notes in the booklet, these songs help provide a retrospective story/history of the label.   MTQ=8/14

[V/A] - "Efter Regn Kommer Solsken" cd  (Popkonst)
Unlike their previous compilations, this brief disc is comprised of exclusive tracks (at least, as far as I can tell) from six different Swedish groups. Oh, and they each seem to have a common theme of guinea pigs! And although you may expect this silly-sounding concept to be a haven for throwaways, many of the songs are actually quite good, with only one of them being useless (the five second Cat And Dog Dialogue track that sounded like a guinea pig jumped on their keyboard). The others from Frederik Trossö, Björn Norestig and All Of A Sudden are all fun, while the disc's highlights coming from Sibiria (who I'd never heard before, but reminded me of Dorotea) and our favorite Swedish noise-pop group, Javelins! Another fine release from Popkonst!   MTQ=5/6

[V/A] - "Food Compilation #2" 7"  (Promenade)
This is the follow-up to the label's first food-themed 7" from a few years back, which also featured seven bands from around the world. And like the first single, many of these bands are from Sweden (where the label is also based), as well as a couple American bands: the Galactic Heroes (who turn in one of their attempted Pizza Hut commercials!)and Tullycraft (who get some more use out of their ten year old song, "Guyana Punch"). As for the Swedish bands, three of the songs are fun - Meta Band, Camera Casanovas! (who I haven't heard from in a while) and Ponyboy (whose song about snow, which you can eat, is cheating a bit); while the other two - Dialog Cet (an uninteresting instrumental) and Incognito Pop (which is just plain annoying) - aren't that good. In addition to the record, there's also a booklet with recipes from the bands, as well as comics from other folks.   MTQ=5/7

[V/A] - "Pop The Question" cd  (Book Club)
I like compilations when they have a loose-fitting theme, so this one, which contains songs from bands composed of (or at least just containing) married couples, is quite nice! This disc contains 25 songs from 25 indiepop bands from around the world, including the Sprites, the Charade, Boyracer, Her Name In Lights, Lovejoy, Go You Huskies!, and Citra Super. About half of the songs are previously released, but there are also a bunch of great exclusive tracks, including Watoo Watoo, the Shermans, Ashtray Boy, the Owls, a Buddy Holly cover by Honeyrider, and most surprising and exciting of all, the first new Crabs song in years! In addition to all of those bands, we're also introduced to a handful of new bands, like the Pinks (soft and fragile), Las Puertas (fun!), the Triangles (rather like the Polyphonic Spree) and the label's own couple, Sun Hill (who give us a 6ths cover). All told, this is a pretty decent compilation, but I do hope the label plans to do another batch, as the initial pressing of 100 isn't going to go very far!   MTQ=19/25

[V/A] - "New British Invasion" cd  (Firestation)
Although they've released tons of great records over the last decade, it seems that many people tend to associate Firestation Records with the Sound Of Leamington Spa series. Well, this compilation of young and unsigned (mostly) bands from Britain shows that the label has an eye on the future of indiepop, as well as its past. This disc has eighteen songs from as many bands, all but two of which I've never heard of before - the Boyfriends were featured as a Demo of the Week here a while back and everyone knows the Pipettes! The rest of the bands are all brand new to me, though, and there are many great ones to choose from, including Milburn, Neat People, the Sequins and Rotary Ten, with the disc's highlights coming from the Harrisons, This Et Al (who kind of reminded me of Sarandon) and Boyfriends. While there is some variety among the bands and songs, many of them tend to share the sound that you'd expect to hear from the label (a few songs even sounded like they could've fit on a Leamington Spa comp) - predominantly male vocals, frequently jangly guitars and upbeat melodies. Let's hope that this becomes a popular series for the label, as well!   MTQ=15/18

[V/A] - "Bon Voyage" cd  (Jabalina)
Jabalina has been releasing fine pop records in Spain for quite a while now (they were the original label for Souvenir, who Shelflife helped us to discover), but they're not had the same kind of international success as Spanish labels like Elefant or Siesta. Even still, they've had tremendous success in their home country, and this disc is a celebration of bands from the label's current roster, as well as friends of the label from around the world. A combination of previously released songs and exclusive tracks, this includes recent hits from the Lucksmiths, Trembling Blue Stars, Ama, Polar, Nadadora and Zipi Zape (not to mention the inclusion of a song from the Family album, which seems a bit odd to include here, as the album is over ten years old and not even a Jabalina release), as well as new songs from many of the label's bands, like Souvenir with a cover of the Box Tops' "The Letter" (sung in Spanish!), as well as indiepop favorites, Pipas! Many of the bands (particularly the ones on the label) are new to me, but I enjoyed many of their contributions, particularly those from Montevideo, Ama, Apenino and Uke. There were a few too many slower, less interesting songs on here (like the ones from Llum and J'aime), but overall, this is a pretty good compilation.   MTQ=15/21

[V/A] - "Still Unravished: A Tribute To The June Brides" cd  (Yes Boy Ice Cream)
Tribute compilations are always a crapshoot - when you love a band so much, it can either be interesting or painful when listening to a disc of different bands covering songs you know so well. Thankfully, the majority of the 16 bands compiled here very good choices, and turn in quality versions of the Junies' classics. Almost all of them are fairly well known - the only ones I'd not heard of previously were the House Of Mexico, How To Swim (both of whom were among the disc's highlights), the Projects and Jeffrey Lewis - and a few of them were even peers of the June Brides, including the Legend, Jasmine Minks, Television Personalities (although I really couldn't stand his bizarre cover of "I Fall") and Manic Street Preachers (okay, not exactly peers, but pretty close). Most of the bands did a pretty good job of making the songs their own, with some of the highlights including Lovejoy, Mad Scene, Postal Blue, the Tyde and Bunnygrunt. A couple misses, but on the whole a very decent compilation (complete with liner notes by Dave Eggers!), and a great start for this new label!   MTQ=12/16

[V/A] - "Bang Crash Boom!!!" cd  (Little Teddy)
While the previous compilations "Woosh" and "Floosh" mostly sampled from the early and middle part of Little Teddy's catalog, this disc collects tracks from the label's recent and forthcoming releases, as well as several contributions from friends of the label. Seeing as it's a collection of highlights from a mostly consistent label, there are tons of standout tracks, including those from recent Little Teddy releases by Luna, The Legends, Tullycraft, Higher Elevations, The Bats and Celest, as well as other album tracks from Galactic Heroes, The Decemberists, Jessica Fletchers, Voxtrot, BMX Bandits, Phonoboy, Starsilver and The Sorayas. Also, this compilation is a great way to sample some of the other Little Teddy bands you may not have heard before, like Mighty Roars, Koufax and Four Volts (although there were a couple duds, including Gown and Digger & The Pussycats). This is a fantastic pop compilation, even if you do already have most of the records from which the songs are taken (only four of these songs are previously unreleased), and this disc proves that Little Teddy Recordings is just as relevant and exciting today as they were ten years ago!   MTQ=22/27

[V/A] - "Sounds When We Move" cd  (Kazu)
This compilation appears to be the first release for this label (or at least I hadn't heard of it previously), but it's a good start, if it is. No theme - just a selection of bands that the folks behind the label enjoy and respect. We've got two songs from each of the ten bands, which I really like, as it can be hard to form a proper opinion about a band with just one song. Plus, if you especially like a band, you've got two hits from 'em (although that runs both ways)! I'd only previously heard of three of these bands: Bears from Cleveland (with a couple of songs from their excellent self-released cd), Spider from Brooklyn (quiet Jen Turrell-ish folky pop) and our old friends, the Boyish Charms, with a pair of new songs! Of the seven new bands, my favorites were the melodic Ann Lynn (who are actually a male quartet, with nary an Ann among them) and the twee/synth-poppy Gingerbread Patriots, with a runner-up from the Diskettes-ish Blank Tapes, as I only liked one of their songs. The other bands on the disc are Slings (nice and soft, country-influenced pop), Satellite Class (low key lo-fi pop), World Record (Wilco-ish country rock) and Sendaero (a sort of blend of Americana and goth, and the only band on the disc I really disliked). Compilations like this are a great way to get introduced to a bunch of new bands, and I'm glad I got a chance to hear this.   MTQ=14/20

[V/A] - "Tiny Idols, Vol. 2" cd  (Snowglobe)
With the second installment of their "indie rock nuggets" series, Snowglobe Records continues on the path it set on the debut: hand-picking favorite songs from mostly lesser-known indie rock bands from the 90s (this set focusing on the latter half of the decade). There are fewer bigger names here (relatively-speaking, anyways), with the larger ones including Lenola, Sukpatch and Mazarin; while on the other hand, there are a handful of bands I'd never previously heard of, like Fashioncolt, the Triggers and Ponyride, as well as a couple I knew only by name (Sugarboom and the Multiple Cat, for instance). Like the first collection, this disc features twenty bands from all over the American indie rock scene, although there's an obvious emphasis on the psych-pop portion of the spectrum, rendering a few too many of these songs too uninteresting for me (I can think of a dozen Lenola songs I would've chosen over "Jet Row"). There are some good songs here, and I think this series is a pretty great idea overall, but this particular release is just a bit too uneven.   MTQ=14/20

[V/A] - "If I Could Write Poetry" cd  (Beautiful Music)
Although I can think of a dozen TVPs covers floating around on various releases, I think this may be the first full tribute album for the highly influential band. It's kind of surprising, really, given the number of tribute albums that have sprung up over the last several years. This one, though, could not have been planned any better. It was assembled by true fans of Dan Treacy, and includes contributions from many of his friends, peers and disciples, including Nikki Sudden (who also wrote the liner notes), the Baskervilles, the Bartlebees (although I never knew that "And Then Suddenly" was a TVPs song...), Biff Bang Pow!, Lovejoy, Sixtynine And The Continuous People and Darrell Whitbeck, among others. The rest of the cast includes both familiar faces (Happy Couple, Miniskirt, Higher Elevations, Armitage Shanks) and bands that I'd not yet heard of, including the Void (a reincarnation of the Mixers, an early Whaam! Records band), the No Men, the Thanes and the Mandervilles. A handful of these songs are taken from previous releases, but over half of them are exclusive to this compilation. According to the liner notes from the Beautiful Music folks, this is part one of a ten part series of TVPs covers albums - I'd be interested to see what other bands step up to contribute!   MTQ=17/20

[V/A] - "Your Living Room's All Over Me" cd  (Art Of The Underground)
Not really a compilation, this is actually a split lp between Buffalo's Lemuria and Kind Of Like Spitting from Portland. I was impressed by the debut Lemuria 7" I got last year, so I'm glad to get to hear half of a full-length from them. They play 90s-styled indie rock in the vein of Moped, Sarge or Racetrack, with a solid sound and boy/girl vocals in both the lead and backups. Really, it's a style I could never tire of - especially with songs this strong! They've got seven of 'em in their 18½ minutes, and they really make it count; every song is a winner! On the flip, we've got five songs from Kind Of Like Spitting, a band that I've been an avid follower of since I first heard them in 2000. Unfortunately, their side is not as consistent as the Lemuria side, let alone their own past releases. All of the songs are 4-5 minutes long (except for a cover of an unreleased Thermals song, which is of course under two minutes in length), and seem to suffer as a result. The only exception is "Team Reasonable", which is a softer tune augmented nicely by a glockenspiel. The other three songs aren't entirely bad, but they really aren't among Ben's best work. This is also available on cd, but be careful if you buy the vinyl version - you'll wear out the Lemuria side quickly!   MTQ=10/12

[V/A] - "It's A Trap Reader's Companion Vol 2" cd  (It's A Trap!)
This excellent website (and mailorder!) dedicated to Swedish music has been around for a while now, and has recently started releasing records, as well. This disc is a follow-up to their successful first compilation from last year, and features another 17 bands from around Scandinavia. There are a couple of big names in this collection, including the Bear Quartet and Moonbabies (a preview from their forthcoming album, and possibly my favorite song from them yet!), but I actually hadn't heard of many of these bands previously. The music on this disc spans a variety of genres from the indiepop of Moonbabies and Hello Saferide (who take the prize for best song title with "If I Don't Write This Song, Someone I Love Will Die") to the indie rock of The End Will Be Kicks (one of my favorite discoveries from the website/mailorder), Paris and Tiger Lou to more experimental fare that ranges from the boring ambient sounds of Phonophani to the terrible noise of Plain Fade. A few of these songs are exclusive to this disc, and this cheap sampler is a great way to discover some new Scandinavian music!   MTQ=11/17

[V/A] - "Souvenirs From Egg Records" cd  (Egg)
This is the second compilation that the label has released since it was resurrected a few years ago, and while that fact is just fine, I am kind of annoyed by the amount of overlap between this label retrospective compilation and their first retrospective disc ("An Introduction To..."). There are eight songs on this disc that also appeared on the first comp; I'm aware that most of these songs are reissues anyways, but the redundancy is rather irritating, especially when you figure that there has to be an abundance of other choice cuts at the label's disposal for inclusion here. That point aside, this is, of course, an excellent look back at what the label has accomplished over the last three years; and with a high ratio of quality releases (really, there was only one that I didn't like) - not to mention the forthcoming releases scheduled - that's actually quite a lot! The bands include This Poison!, the Prayers, the Bachelor Pad, Tugboat, the Submarines, Remember Fun, Even As We Speak, the Palisades and more. All of the songs are taken from past/upcoming releases, so diehard fans of the Egg Records Restoration Programme won't really get much out of this, but anyone who doesn't already have every release or is new to the world of the early 80s/late 90s indiepop scene will find lots of new favorites here!   MTQ=24/27

[V/A] - "Yay 4 Cuteness" cd  (Valiant Death)
There was a discussion recently on the indiepop list about the differences between twee-pop and anti-folk; the two really do have a large number of similarities, but are still fairly mutually exclusive (lots of "tweepop" fans aren't aware of like-minded "anti-folk" bands, and vice-versa). Well, this disc (whether it was intended or not) bridges that gap quite nicely, by featuring a number of bands from both genres, and in the process, showing how similar they really are. Both sides are poppy and both can write cute songs - and both can be a bit cloying at times, as well. From the indiepop camp, we've got Cars Can Be Blue, the Haircuts, the Smittens, Linda Guilala (who I've never heard of, but was really impressed by), the Bicycles (a band I'd been wanting to hear for a while and was very pleased by!) and Casper & The Cookies (who turn in an exclusive track). The disc is tilted a bit more towards anti-folk, with highlights coming from Nice And Friendly, Tinyfolk, Milly, Super Famicom and the Painting Pansies. There are some bands in between, but like I said, the lines are so blurred between the two genres that it's not really worth splitting hairs anyways. Anyone with a penchant for bands that revere Calvin Johnson and Jonathan Richman equally will find a lot to enjoy here!   MTQ=20/32

[V/A] - "Kids At The Club" cd  (How Does It Feel To Be Loved)
One of the most famous and popular indie club nights in the world, pretty much any popkid living in or visiting the greater London area has probably been to at least one night hosted by "How Does It Feel To Be Loved?". Heck, I sure did when I visited the city last year! Well, after years of hosting these nights filled with wonderful pop, Ian has decided to start a label, as well, and this is his first release! Basically, this could be seen as a perfect sample of his DJ work, picking fun and catchy indiepop songs from the last couple years by some top British and Swedish bands, like Tender Trap, Suburban Kids With Biblical Names and Language Of Flowers, with a couple American groups (Saturday Looks Good To Me and Voxtrot) thrown in, as well. Nearly half of the bands were new to my ears, but almost every one of them was an instant classic, with favorites including Irene, I'm From Barcelona, Gresham Flyers, and . And most of the songs are debuted on this release, so don't miss it! I'd have to say that my only complaint is that there isn't much information about the bands themselves, but I guess when you're at the club, you're lucky to even get a list of what's playing!   MTQ=18/19

[V/A] - "Hamper" cd  (Candle)
This recent compilation is Candle's 100th release, a triumph made bittersweet by the fact that they'll be closing their doors shortly after years reigning as one Australia's most important indie labels on the last decade. This disc is not a reflection of the label's life, but rather a simple compilation like the ones before it, like "Feast" or "Banter". And like the previous comps, most of these songs are exclusive to this disc. All of the usual suspects are here, including two songs a piece from the Lucksmiths (only one new song, but it's amazing!), Darren Hanlon, Guild League, Ruck Rover, Anthony Atkinson, Tim Oxley, Jodi Phillis, Rob Clarkson, Small Knives and Richard Easton. Basically, we have their entire current roster, except for the Girls From The Clouds and Mid-State Orange (an unfortunate omission). No big surprises on here - just top tunes from just about everyone, meaning there are too many highlights to list. A fine compilation!   MTQ=15/20

[V/A] - "Compound 440R: Local Collections 2006" dbl cd  (Compound 440R)
According to the scant liner notes, Compound 440R is a collective of musicians in the Boston area. I'm not sure if all 31 of these bands are part of the actual collective or are just loosely associated, but I can tell that owning a synthesizer is a requirement for joining them. A large number of these songs use synths rather heavily, from the Human League/OMD-inspired synth-pop of Eject, We Are Cassette, Freezepop and Karacter to the synthy punk of HO-AG and Mules, and from the dub of Z.W.A. and Boo Radley to the hyper-active dancepop of Squids and Big Digits (with more in between). There are, of course, a handful of exceptions including the Slumber Party-ish Shephardess, the delightfully jangly Pants Yell!, and the power pop of Mittens (and a couple others not worth mentioning), but most of the bands use synths or keyboards, even if incidentally. Not sure how many of these songs are exclusive to this release (as most of the bands are new to me), but the Specific Heats do turn in an excellent new tune, and of the bands I hadn't already heard before, I was particularly fond of Eject, Blanketeer and We Are Cassette. There were a large number of tracks I had to quickly skip past, but there's still plenty to like on this collection.   MTQ=15/31

[V/A] - "New British Invasion Vol. 2" cd  (Firestation)
There wasn't much space in between this volume and the previous one, and there is no overlap of bands either, which makes me think Firestation has their hands in a deep well of modern indiepop groups from England! Well, almost - this follow-up to last year's promising debut installment isn't as consistently good as the first one. But that's not to say this is at all a disappointment, as I still found a lot to enjoy among the twenty bands introduced to me on this compilation (The Madeleines' excellent "Safety Net" already reached my ears via the "C06" cassette comp). The most notable of these new bands include the laidback jangle of Scottish Polis Inspectors and Enid Blitz, the noisy pop of The Wombats and Eight Legs, and Captain Dangerous (which sounds like Ballboy fronting the Cannanes), with other fine songs turned in by Horsebox, Winterkids and The Rubikons. My only complaint is on the lack of any information or even contact info for the bands; it's a common mistake for compilations, but the omission is even more glaring when the purpose of the collection is to introduce us to complete unknowns!   MTQ=16/21

[V/A] - "Peachy Little Secrets" cd  (Fruit)
I've always been amazed by the concentration of popkids in Singapore (don't believe me? join the Peekaboo mailing list!), and Fruit Records is one of the tiny country's better labels. In the past, they've released albums from locals Serenaide and their Indonesian neighbors, Mocca (as well as a bonus-filled reissue of the last Camera Obscura record), but now they've compiled a fine collection of indiepop from around the world. A large number of these songs have already been released on albums or singles, so don't expect new songs from the bigger names on here, like the Lucksmiths, La Casa Azul or My Favorite, or even from the smaller international bands, like Ingenting, Luisa Mandou Um Beijo, Little Name or Annemarie (who actually are Indonesian, though the song comes from their debut on a Swedish label). But I still found this to be a great way to sample several new bands I've never heard before (mostly from southeast Asia), like Couple, 1900 Yesterday, Marshmallow Kisses and the Oddfellows (a brilliant blast from Singapore's past, dating back to 1992!), not to forget the entirely new tracks from My Writes and Purplepaige! An all-around excellent compilation!   MTQ=18/20

[V/A] - "Let It Bee" cd  (My Honey)
After a bunch of fine pop releases, the My Honey label of Italy gives us a compilation of songs with a running theme of bees and honey (although a few bands cheat and use the figurative sense of the latter word). This compilation is full of delightful pop songs from around the world, including Celestial, Eisenhower, the Smittens, the Shermans, Ant, Locas In Love, Watoo Watoo and the label's flagship band, Le Man Avec Les Lunettes (who turn in one of the disc's highlights with "Could I Call You Honey"). I was especially excited to hear another great new song from Linda Guilala, who I remember being especially enamored with on the Valiant Death Twee comp (keep an eye out for her - she's amazing!). Most of these songs are exclusive to this disc, although a few bands, like Luisa Mandou Um Beijo and Mocca, turned in songs available from previous releases. I already knew of most of these bands, but my favorite new band on this disc was easily Minibar, a Spanish group I know nothing about, but judging from their URL, may be somehow related to the ace Vacaciones! A few duds, but still a fine compilation!   MTQ=16/20

[V/A] - "A Family Portrait" cd  (Beechfields)
Not actually a compilation, but really a split release between a pair of Baltimore bands that was given its own title (man, those releases are always hard to file!). The first half of the disc belongs to the Chris And Joylene Show, who are reminiscent of Tsunami or Kristin Hersh (mainly due to the vocals - the music is actually much softer), but as I was never really a big fan of Tsunami apart from a couple songs, this side is lost on me. Not really bad (I did kinda like a couple of their songs), just not that interesting. Let me instead fast forward to Pupa's Window, a band that I've heard before, but never took notice of. Either these songs are their best yet, or I had cotton in my ears the first time I heard the band's music, but in either case, I was instantly smitten with them (well, him). He gets eight songs to the former band's five, but his are shorter, so it ends up being around the same duration. Using a full band sound with bass, drums and acoustic guitars (and the occasional keyboard), Michael writes catchy songs that fall somewhere between a mellower Fountains Of Wayne (yes, they're that catchy!) and Teenage Fanclub. He even closes with a cover of the Spinanes' "Entire", doing the song more justice than most others could pull off (although he gets a point deduction for a botched lyric). A lop-sided split release, but definitely worth picking up!   MTQ=9/13

[V/A] - "I Would Write A Thousand Words" cd  (Beautiful Music)
Part two of a promised ten-part series of Television Personalities covers, this disc features another 20 songs done by fans of the TVPs from all around the world. As there are a large number of diehard devotees out there, it's not too surprising that there are a few repeat bands on this compilation (Paisley Shirts, Nikki Sudden, Mandervilles, No Men - I guess the Bartlebees are spacing themselves out...), and as well, there are a number of repeated songs between the two volumes, with classics like "La Grande Illusion", "Look Back In Anger" and "14th Floor" (among others) being revisited here. But still, this is another loving tribute to the band, with excellent cover versions from Pacific Radio (who have been away too long!), Loch Ness Mouse, BMX Bandits, Legend!, the Shambles and Phil Wilson as well as a Swell Maps song from 1978! I can think of a dozen bands/songs left off of this disc, but there's still plenty of time for them to have their say!   MTQ=15/20