This is one of those compilations backed by dodgy subsidies from public funds, with the questionable intention of regenerating a struggling region (or country) by pimping its new bands. We've had a few of these before on Music Arcades: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. As with some of those, this CD was a giveaway with Music Week, when I used to subscribe to that as research for The Book. As a general rule I haven't included many of those in the Official Catalogue that is the basis for Music Arcades (am I sounding pompous enough, yet?), because they're almost invariably tat that I've never listened to, but a few got through the net, and I honour their inclusion (that should do it).
So often these compilations turn out, with hindsight, to be sad tales of abandoned dreams. The CD has tracks by Jim Moray, Seth Lakeman and Show of Hands, but they were all getting played on Radio 2 by 2006. The rest seem, with the possible exception of Jane Taylor, seem to be lounging in the Where Are They Now file. This is from Meeky Rosie's Last.fm profile:
The band have been working with cutting edge producer Max Heyes who has worked with the band for the last fifteen months. The album is currently being mixed at Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studios by Tchad Blake and Alan Moulder and will be slated for an October 2006 release date.
Three years on, no sign of an album (just a single
When I listen to CDs like this, it's as background. So I'm not paying attention to the songcraft, or even the 'hooks', but just the way it sounds. If it sounds like standard-issue indie rock, I tune out (sorry, Meeky Rosie). There were two tracks whose sound made me flip out of autopilot and pay attention. The Girl From Headquarters had a nice woozy accordion thing going on, like The Pogues crossed with Nick Cave doing a Brecht song, but the vocals turned me off. I loved the intro to Walking on the Sand by The Flies, and played the whole track through several times. Slowly I realised it was Peggy Lee's Fever crossed with The Shangri-Las', ahem, Remember (Walking in the Sand). But if you're going to mix some old stuff, there's two good ingredients to start with.
Discogs entry for this album
Listen to this album in full at Last.fm
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