Reviewed by James Lewis

"..and now Klank reaches the final furlong and it's Ninety Pound Wuss close behind, followed by Ghoti Hook, Joe Christmas and Velour 100 in a tight pack; Roadside Monument makes a play for the lead but it's Morella's Forest who comes in first! Morella's Forest wins the daftest name of the year!" The weird 'n' wonderful band names on offer are almost matched by the song titles, but sadly I can't tell you whether the lyrics themselves match these esoteric monikers. A large portion of the bands here offer up style on the various sides of the point where alternative, grunge, punk and thrash merge and vocal clarity often comes a poor second to volume (am I starting to sound old?). You may have heard Stavesacre or MxPx previously and these bands provide a good touchstone for the rest of this compilation, alternatively, in a secular vein, think Placebo and Presidents Of The USA. The bands that offer something different are the ones that stand out for me here. Joy Electric go back to the analogue and early digital synth sounds of the early '80s (with '90s bass). Plankeye introduce some melody to their grunge sound and Sal Paradise provide a welcome reduction to the pace of theirs. Unless your tastes include the heavier end of the spectrum, you are likely to find this collection somewhat exhausting. As a sampler, I guess the aim is to make you say "I just have to buy that album..and that one..and that one!", but I think at best I might want to listen to a couple here before deciding.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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