Reviews

Ah, the reviewer’s true challenge: a compilation album. Deep Elm steps up with the first in another compilation series titled “Unreleased”, featuring tracks that have never appeared on any other recordings. I still haven’t really figured the best way to review one of these, so I’m just going to briefly summarize each track. The album starts out with Planes Mistaken For Stars’ song “Blinders”, which is much more laid back than what’s on their LP (the only material I’ve heard by them), “Fuck With Fire”, so I’m going to assume that it’s either a new style for them or an old one, but still features their own distinct sound. Seven Storey Mountain appear next with their song “6.8.2000” which is a fun, fast, rock song. Red Animal War steps up with their track which sounds oddly like the Foo Fighters, at least in the vocals. Strange. Brandston follows with “Optimist Club”. I really like this song. It’s sort of a driving indie rock song. I really like the one singer’s voice, but don’t care much for the other’s. Triple Fast Action play “All Better Now”, and while it’s not terrible, it’s really nothing that special, nor is it anything I’ve never heard before. Pop Unknown’s track “New Found Friends” seems to define mediocrity. Really, this song doesn’t do anything for me. Five Eight plays “Skin Deep Pretty” which is another song with standard vocals, lyrics, and chord progressions. Once again; nothing special. Starmarket breaks the developing trend with a pretty good track called “Hated”. I like the song, starting out with the really crunchily distorted guitar, but then their singer starts singing, and his Swedish accent seeps through. I suppose it would take some getting used to. Dead Red Sea does a good job with “Ice Skating.” I really like how both guitars and the bass play off each other, but once again, his vocals could use a little work. This Beautiful Mess plays a slower and longer song to finish off the album which is actually kind of boring. The song just doesn’t really seem to go anywhere. This album wasn’t such a great start to the series, but I am still looking forward to the next issuance featuring The Appleseed Cast, Benton Falls, Cross My Heart, The White Octave, and others, because I’m more familiar with and enjoy those artists better.