Various Artists

Reviews

Pop Jingu Volume 2 (CD) Clover Records
When you see the words "a japanese pop compilation" on the sleeve you might be led to expect multicultural pop irony, easy listening samples, hip hop beats, and the odd breathless chanteuse. OK, so the breathless chanteuse makes a fleeting appearance, but this compilation turns up its nose at pop irony and sets about proving that that Japan can do the whole lo-fi alt-rock thing too. Fans of Pizzicato 5 and Cornelius may be a little disappointed with the comparative lack of originality, but that disappointment soon fades as you come to realise the quality of the songs here. It is immediately apparent that European bands like Stereolab and My Bloody Valentine have been an influence on many of the bands here, and whilst the references are a little obvious at times, there is sufficient variation in style to maintain your interest throughout.

CINEMAPHONIC: Electro Soul (CD) Emperor Norton Records
The excellent Electro Soul compilation features a selection of library tunes composed specifically for use in 1970s film and television productions. The tunes are more funky than in Blow Up's similar Exclusive Blend series, although that would appear to be the inspiration for this collection. The word electro in the title is a little misleading, as most of the tunes feature lounge orchestras using traditional instruments, but the few tracks that do make use of electronic instruments are amongst the most interesting, and are often reminiscent of Superstition era Stevie Wonder.

We Thank You (CD) Kindercore
Kindercore celebrate their fiftieth release with a three CD collection featurng the label's "family and friends". The first CD contains new material, and is also the best of the three CDs, a promising sign for the label. The second CD contains "classic" tracks from past Kindercore releases, with an intruiging selection of remixes making up the third.

Love Ballads (CD) March
Fortunately George Michael and Whitney Houston are both absent here, and instead a selection of past and present March friendly bands serve up songs which rarely seem to tie in with the compilation's title. There are a few great songs here, making this record a good sampler for the March label, but it was always fated to be an anti climax, coming so soon after the excellent Moshi Moshi compilation. Several of the bands that appeared on Moshi Moshi make another appearance here, with Cinnamon and the Cherry Orchard once again providing two of the highlights, and older tracks by Holiday and Ciao Bella remind you of just how important March records have been over the last few years.

Banter (CD) Candle
Candle is best known internationally for being the home of the Lucksmiths, but on this compilation the Australian label shows that it has a few other tricks up its sleeve. Appropriately enough the compilation kicks off with the Lucksmiths, but the two previously unreleased songs are a little ordinary for such an extraordinary band. This leaves the Dearhunters free to steal the show with two dreamy country tinged pop songs reminiscent of Mazzy Star. If the Dearhunters dabble in Country, then Fibrotown are the genuine cotton pickin' article, and their Country Girl Gone Wrong is an amusing tale of a country girl in the big city who swaps her cowboy boots for sneakers and falls for an indie-pop singer. The songs on this compilation are almost entirely of the gentle guitar pop variety, with Richard Easton providing one of the noisier exceptions, despite having the boys from Sodastream as his backing band.

Just Like Geoff (7") Boa
This record was released as a tribute to Joe Meek's songwriting partner Geoff Goddard, and consists of cover versions of two of his songs. Electroscope team up with Mount Vernon Arts Lab to cover Skymen, whilst the Castaway Stones cover My Friend Bobby on the other side. The cover of Skymen is appropriately otherworldly, and even if the samples and bleeps and whispered vocals bear little relation to Geoff Goddard's original, it perfectly captures the essence of Meek's home studio experimentalism. Closer to the original is the Castaway Stones cover of My Friend Bobby, featuring the multitracked vocals of Pam Berry in a dreamy slice of guitar pop which outshines Pamela Blue's original.

Darla 100 (CD) Darla
Darla celebrate their sixth anniversary with a four cd extravaganza lasting four and three-quarter hours and covering the full spectrum of Darla releases. Orange Cake Mix, Steward, Junior Varsity KM, and Flowchart feature heavily as you might expect, with several of their finest recordings collected here. But don't worry if lo-fi electronic experimentalism is not your sort of thing, the likes of Shoestrings, Lali Puna, and Heartworms provide an ample selection of excellent indie guitar pop tunes, much of which is exclusive to this compilation.

You Make Me Smile 2000 (CD) Shelflife
Shelflife offer up a retrospective illustrating why they have become one of the finest independent labels of recent years. The consistently excellent track listing is largely taken from the label's past releases, with a few tracks on loan from Elefant and This Happy Feeling. Majestic, the Arrogants, the Brittle Stars, and the Castaway Stones are all represented, and there are a few tasters of future Shelflife releases too, not least the forthcoming debut LP by Le Coupe, which promises to be one of the records of the year.

Moshi Moshi (CD) March
March Records repeat the success of their Pop American Style compilation with another mammoth collection, this time featuring bands from around the world. Once again the compilation is made up of exclusive and hard to find tracks, but unlike it's predecessor attention is focused on jangly guitar pop, largely leaving aside more experimental and punky bands, and lending the compilation a more flowing feel. After opening strongly with the Cherry Orchard's infectious Everybody Knows the high standard of quality pop is kept up throughout, with excellent tracks by The Secret Goldfish, From Bubblegum to Sky, and a slice of quirky pop brilliance from Ray Wonder, but with forty tracks on the compilation there are just too many highlights to list them all here. If you don't already have a copy of this compilation then order one today!

The Sound Of Young Sweden (CD) Summersound Recordings
First Motown gave us the Sound of Young America... then Postcard gave us the Sound of Young Scotland... now the new Swedish label Summersound are at it too, and if this is the sound of young Sweden, then Sweden must be a very good place to be young right now. Seven Swedish bands contribute two tracks each, many exclusive to this record. The compilation opens with probably the best song that the Leslies have ever recorded, and ends with the best of the many remixes of Club 8's Missing You. In-between the Concretes give us two intriguingly angular songs, while the Shermans and label proprietors the Acid House Kings dish up the high quality pop you would expect from them. But it is the less well known Edson who provide the record's crowning glory in the form of Sunday, Lovely Sunday, with the lyric "Holding hands with the one I love, she wears mittens and I wear gloves" reason enough to buy this record in itself. Only the Swedish indie old-timers HappyDeadMen sound out of place here, with their more bitter take on guitar pop jarring with the uplifting exuberance of the other songs.