Post by thesoundmonitor on Jan 6, 2004 22:56:30 GMT -5
VARIOUS ARTISTS
60 Songs
(Building Records) BUR015
I love a well-packaged CD. It demonstrates pride and respect that is oft lost in the rush to get an album released. Good packaging creates a certain amount of ownership on the listener, generating an inclusive appeal that assists in the building of a community; a scene.
Australian label Building Records obviously thought about presentation when it came to this two-disc extravaganza of dirty hardcore. Nice layout, interesting liner notes, non-generic graphics. All combined with a tracklisting as varied as it is extensive.
60 Songs is – as the title suggests – 60 tracks, 60 artists, displaying 60 different versions of the over-used hardcore term. From the emo to the rock, to the punk to the grind, to the pop and to the noise, 60 Songs houses it all in a strangely cohesive flow.
By combining the growing Building roster with some of the genres more bold and standard-setting labels (Deplorable, Robotic Empire, Level-Plane, and Lovitt), 60 Songs demonstrates the community spirit within the scene as well as exposes the listener to an international array of styles and sounds.
At 60 tracks, it would be a cumbersome task to even go through the stand-out tracks. And given my ignorance to the scene I’d have difficulty pointing out the higher-profile names. Thus 60 Songs is purpose-built for the hardcore novice, and the scenester both.
However, the beauty of 60 Songs lay in its diversity. The very fact that disc 1 can go from the double indie-pop influence of The Cassettes and Blood Like Water to the sonic aggression of Crestfallen and just as quickly to the indie-rock of Staying At Home without sounding awkward is sheer magic.
Likewise disc 2 manages to step from the non-descript strangeness of Rah Bras to the epic instrumentation of Limit of Shunt’s oddly titled ‘It Would Not Have Altered, In Any Way, Our Decision To Participate In This Operation’, without batting an eyelid.
Amongst this miscellany of sounds comes the emo-driven Pilot to Gunner, the Cannibal Corpse-ish Deadstare (without the vulgar imagery), the completely offbeat A Trillian Barnacle Stare and the nine-member cacophony of Pageninetynine. Such diversity puts the listener in a spin of wonderment and excitement as there’s no telling what comes next. What you’re guaranteed not to get is some sweet, no-brainer, commercial radio crap.
Ultimately 60 Songs is one of the better compilations I’ve come across in a while, challenging Relapse’s Contaminated series for diversity and quality.
By Warren Wheeler
Artist website: n/a
Label website: www.buildrecords.com
Buy this album: www.buildwebstore.com
60 Songs
(Building Records) BUR015
I love a well-packaged CD. It demonstrates pride and respect that is oft lost in the rush to get an album released. Good packaging creates a certain amount of ownership on the listener, generating an inclusive appeal that assists in the building of a community; a scene.
Australian label Building Records obviously thought about presentation when it came to this two-disc extravaganza of dirty hardcore. Nice layout, interesting liner notes, non-generic graphics. All combined with a tracklisting as varied as it is extensive.
60 Songs is – as the title suggests – 60 tracks, 60 artists, displaying 60 different versions of the over-used hardcore term. From the emo to the rock, to the punk to the grind, to the pop and to the noise, 60 Songs houses it all in a strangely cohesive flow.
By combining the growing Building roster with some of the genres more bold and standard-setting labels (Deplorable, Robotic Empire, Level-Plane, and Lovitt), 60 Songs demonstrates the community spirit within the scene as well as exposes the listener to an international array of styles and sounds.
At 60 tracks, it would be a cumbersome task to even go through the stand-out tracks. And given my ignorance to the scene I’d have difficulty pointing out the higher-profile names. Thus 60 Songs is purpose-built for the hardcore novice, and the scenester both.
However, the beauty of 60 Songs lay in its diversity. The very fact that disc 1 can go from the double indie-pop influence of The Cassettes and Blood Like Water to the sonic aggression of Crestfallen and just as quickly to the indie-rock of Staying At Home without sounding awkward is sheer magic.
Likewise disc 2 manages to step from the non-descript strangeness of Rah Bras to the epic instrumentation of Limit of Shunt’s oddly titled ‘It Would Not Have Altered, In Any Way, Our Decision To Participate In This Operation’, without batting an eyelid.
Amongst this miscellany of sounds comes the emo-driven Pilot to Gunner, the Cannibal Corpse-ish Deadstare (without the vulgar imagery), the completely offbeat A Trillian Barnacle Stare and the nine-member cacophony of Pageninetynine. Such diversity puts the listener in a spin of wonderment and excitement as there’s no telling what comes next. What you’re guaranteed not to get is some sweet, no-brainer, commercial radio crap.
Ultimately 60 Songs is one of the better compilations I’ve come across in a while, challenging Relapse’s Contaminated series for diversity and quality.
By Warren Wheeler
Artist website: n/a
Label website: www.buildrecords.com
Buy this album: www.buildwebstore.com