A compilation of items from the Indipop label out of Britain, Compilasian: World of Indipop is meant to stand as a mark of the end of an era, since Indipop founder/producer/artist Steve Coe decided to end the label. As such, it's something of a clean-up album, full of rarities that may or may not have been released but were sitting in the archives. First on the album is a bit from the Ganges Orchestra (Coe's artist collective) from a 1983 single that was destroyed during export and never released subsequently. Jhalib, the ...
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A compilation of items from the Indipop label out of Britain, Compilasian: World of Indipop is meant to stand as a mark of the end of an era, since Indipop founder/producer/artist Steve Coe decided to end the label. As such, it's something of a clean-up album, full of rarities that may or may not have been released but were sitting in the archives. First on the album is a bit from the Ganges Orchestra (Coe's artist collective) from a 1983 single that was destroyed during export and never released subsequently. Jhalib, the percussionist from Monsoon, contributes a track, followed by another piece from the Ganges. A new track from Indipop superartist Sheila Chandra in collaboration with the Ganges follows, as does another collaboration between the two, this time for an old radio promo. A bit of sound sampling from Kerala and Madras forms the base for "Elegy for India," and the ambient "Ama" hails from an unreleased project. "Ever So Lonely" was the first track recorded by Monsoon, and was the reason for the creation of Indipop, and East West provides a funky fusion, the recording of which came as a prize in a television contest. An experiment in backwards sounds and lyrics continues the line of exploration, and an outing by Sheila Chandra entirely solo follows. Gamelan is fused into "Crescent Silver Scythe," and "Come Home" (from an abandoned album) makes a dramatic statement. "Unannounced" is a simple interlude of drone from a hidden track on an industry promo, and the album finishes on "ContemplASIAN 9," a single-instrument ambient drone/repetition experiment from an abandoned series of projects. In general, the tracks hold a good deal of vigor, with playful interplay between instruments and vocals here and there. Chandra's vocals are always rather stunning, carrying even the weaker compositions, and some of the outside talent (Jhalib, East West) brings in a fresher sound. The one glaring cavity in the album would be the finale track. At 17 minutes, the repetition and sparseness can easily become cumbersome to even the most patient of ambient listeners. Give the album a listen for the rarities of the genre, but skip the last track. ~ Adam Greenberg, Rovi
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Add this copy of Compilasian: World of Indipop to cart. $6.00, like new condition, Sold by Streetlight_Records rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Santa Cruz, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2003 by Narada.