Another great year for Rough Trade
The annual release in the Rough Trade's shops 'Counter Culture' series promises to be a treat-shaped mixture of names to remember over the coming year, names from the last year you couldn't forget no matter how hard you try and sneaky imps whose names you will always treasure. And that's just the first CD. The second is a more sneaky beast with electronica and dance infusions amongst more bizarre offerings as well as more indie which has snuck in through the back door.
Opening with gorgeous and oh so quiet indie-folk from Various Productions and The Last Town Chorus the album has pitched its openers perfectly. Next is Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan with a song both eerie and stirring via its coupling of twee vocals from the ex-Belle & Sebastian gal and dirty guitar tweaking from the former Queens of the Stone Age man. The Baroque sound of Beirut eases its way in with a Dresden Dolls meets the Mountain Goats number with a winning quirky charm. Following in their offbeat footsteps is Lily Allen, what's left unsaid where little miss motormouth is concerned? The song, 'LDN' is bearable and does have some insights, but thankfully its presence is brief.
The glorious but shamefully overlooked Camera Obscura make an appearance with 'Lloyd I'm Ready to be Heartbroken', a perfect indie pop song imbedded with cheer and sunshine. Similarly Peter Bjorn and John's 'Young Folks' is dreamy pop excellence. Other gems of particular note include the incredibly sweet and loveable Monkey Swallows the Universe and 'We Used to Vacation' from arse kicking band of the moment Cold War Kids.
The second CD features many examples of electronica, and serves as a reminder of the electro boom over the last few months. There is also a well represented corner of noisy garage indie from artists such as Pre and The Rotters. Current favourites CSS and Gossip are featured as are Rough Trade's own Scritti Politti. There's a nice example of European indie and its bag of tricks in the form of Envelopes and an interesting experiment in percussion from Xerox Teens. There's some old school punk from Bromheads Jacket inspired 'Trip to the Golden Arches', a song with the added bonus of a Starbucks snub to its name.
This collection showcases some of the most promising acts in alternative, and also features some more obscure options. It is worth investigating for its many strong moments, particularly if you find yourself uninspired by what the mainstream has to offer.