Inner City (Grit) pressure
Inner City Grit is a label on the up. They support "unique" and "interesting" artists that would otherwise be lost in the sea of dross that has flooded the internet and local music scenes across the country. Their first release "Inner City Grit Volume 1" was a superb mix of musical colours ranging from industrial grindings to soulful acoustic touching base with everything in between, this variety made the album a joy to listen to and succeeded in promoting substance over style.
"Volume 2 (Inner City Grit: 2nd Transmission)" has a lot to live up to and combines the older guard heard on the initial offering with newer artists looking for a break. The musicians featured on Volume 1 show why they have been included again with Viso Nero ('We Are The Illusion'), Avacate ('Ghost Of A Former Self'), Mamuschka ('I Adore You') and Black Bloc ('If You Want Success') putting forward excellent tracks. But it's the debutants who shine brighter.
One man trip-hop machine Illusion strikes first with his all too brief album opener 'Walking'. It's only two minutes long but it combines the best parts of Amon Tobin with DJ Shadow whilst adding a dose of melancholy for good measure. It certainly left me wanting more; co-incidentally his freebee album "Infinite Regress" is equally brilliant and available from his myspace page. Continuing the trip hop is Zoon Van Snook's 'Dirty Needles', a song packed with catchy hooks, fluid electronics and top banana craftsmanship. It's certainly a more upbeat track than Illusion's contribution and is equally impressive but isn't quite as effective on an emotional or technical level.
Nestled between those two ditties is Rock in Your Pocket whose track 'Le Son De L'Argent' is a sultry funky number predominantly sung in French. I don't understand French, but it certainly makes anything sound beautiful and it gilds the already beautiful vocals which sit atop the jazzy bassline and subtle electronics. Another highlight is 'Purgatory' by Statix a near 7 minute piece of glitchy electronic joy, the complexity and inventiveness puts them ahead of their dub peers. You know a track is from the top shelf when after 7 minutes you still want more.
But it's The Black Light Parade who provide the overall highlight on quasi goth track 'Amongst The Trees'. The lyrics are dark and the bleakly atmospheric skittering guitars recall The Cure while adding a heavy dose of modern life. Great care has clearly been taken to instil the track with a sense of dread and gravitas which penetrates further with every drum hit and every poetic word.
On the whole 2nd Transmission is a success and worth a download (doubly so when you consider the price, zero) but it lacks the consistency of Volume 1 with more average songs and fewer jaw droopingly good entries. The better tracks do shine but they can't mask the pedestrian songs which stick out like sore thumbs compared to the trimmed cuticles displayed by the likes of Avacate, Black Light Parade and Illusion. As an album it leaves much to be desired but as a window shopping into the world of Inner City Grit it works magnificently. No bands are on this sampler because of looks or fashion. They are there on artistic merit alone and in 2010 that is a refreshing notion.