 Various
Artists
"Public Service Broadcast #5" CDR
Smalltown
America
Genres: indie rock, indie pop, punk
Mar 28 - Apr 3 2005 |
Compilation tracks can be separated into four categories - standouts,
good songs, filler tracks, and duds. A good compilation will,
obviously, have more songs in the former groupings; a lesser comp will
tend towards the latter groups. Of course,
there's also the matter of track sequencing and flow, but for a
sampler like Public Service Broadcast #5, the focus is more on
exposing the listener to a wide array of bands and less on creating a
musical masterpiece.
Fortunately, PSB5's track listing tends toward the
standout/good categories, with enough variety to appeal to most indie
and punk fans. Particularly excellent standout songs come by way
of +/- (ex-Versus), Dead or American, and The
Betes Noires, who each contribute dynamic, melodic indie rock
tunes with solid (yet original) melodies. The bulk of the comp
is occupied by good (but not incredible) material, with strong
contributions by the likes of The Nothing, Distrophia,
and Piney Gir. There's a bit of grungy stuff (Centrifuge),
some hardcore (Twofold), and some lighter pop (Tara Jane
O'Nell, Lexxi), but the majority this is straightforward
indie rock. Aside from a bit of filler (The Awakes),
there doesn't seem to be any major faults on PSB5; I'm looking
forward to number six!
85%
Matt Shimmer [Vitals:
23 tracks, distributed by the
label, released 2004] |
