Spectrum - Volume Four Compilation
Volume Four is a fascinating compilation of nineteen UK-based alternative rock songs. Not only is this a CD, but it's a full color mini-book nearly an inch thick, full of in-depth details and reviews of the bands in question.
The bands and songs featured here, all either new recordings, debuts, or remixes, are:
Suede - My Insatiable One
Butterfly Child - We, the Inspired
Swallow - Lovesleep
Ultramarine - Saratoga
Bim Sherman - Keep on Movin'
Flower Sermon - Shine
Strangelove - Zoo'd Out
Throwing Muses - Firepile
Pavement - Greenlander
The Fall - Arid Al's Dream
Babes in Toyland - Sometimes
Spectrum - Soul Kill
Dub Syndicate - Ravi Shankar
Stereolab - Super Falling Star
Little Annie -Everything and More
Meat Beat Manifesto - Drop
Pop will Eat Itself - Bulletproof
The Aphex Twin - En Trange to Exit
Steroid Maximus - Volgarity
First, the book. It's amazingly fascinating. I posted a page so you can see what it's like. There are a series of artsy photos of each band as well as an interview which, to put it mildly, can be quite intimate. The Spectrum interview talks about lead singer Sonic Boom's traumatic break-up with Jason Pierce. They originally had been co-leaders of the band Spacemen 3. As the interview explains, "What Sonic Boom [Pete Kember] takes very seriously is his music. When Spacemen 3 parted ways, he explained that making music with someone is like having sex with them. Pierce, his partner-turned-enemy, stood accused of faking orgasms and lighting up before it was all over. It was a bitter end. ... since they haven't 'shagged' for 18 months, it seems pointless to ask Pete about Jason. But, quite without prompting, he brings up the subject time and time again - often so obliquely you're not sure what the hell he's talking about."
The interview goes on in that vein. So it's not just about the music, it's about the relationships and behind-the-scenes and other details that one might not find elsewhere.
And then, of course, you have the music itself. The music is all generally "alternative", I suppose one could say, but there's quite a wide range represented, which makes for a bit of a challenge if you simply put the CD on and play it all the way through. It's not even like being at a club, because at a club they would tend to organize a mix to move an audience through a set of moods. Here the music is like picking up an iPod that an entire family uses for their music, full of 20,000 wildly different songs, and then hitting "random".
One moment you're listening to Saratoga from Ultramarine, a delightfully boppy piece with a One-Of-These-Nights vibe to it. The next you have Zoo'd Out going which has an undercurrent with the feel of a crying baby. The song "Sometimes" has yelling in it - and then this goes right into "Soul Kiss" by Spectrum, which is about as drifty, spacey, and relaxing as they come. To me it's almost like the beginning of Dream Weaver.
I'm sure many people pick this up because of one particular song by one particular band. Maybe they're fans of Spectrum / Sonic Boom and want his work. Maybe it's Ultramarine or the Throwing Muses they're keen on. What's neat is that not only do you get that fantastic article, photos, and song, but you get 18 others as well. You're exposed to other artists you might not ever have heard of before.
Highly recommended, both as a collectible for the particular band you love, and also as a way to expand your musical horizons.
Buy Spectrum - Volume Four Compilation from Amazon.com
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