Now this is a great idea! Here are seven singles by seven different bands -- both A- and B-sides -- showcasing the considerable innovative and diverse talent the revered British indie label has on its current roster. And the sequencing on a sampler like this is everything. Therefore, the wise and wily at Rough Trade have opted to place the Bs first and it's a very wise move, giving punters that bit of unexpected delight first! The Fiery Furnaces kick it all off (and over) with the provocative "Single Again," the flip of ...
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Now this is a great idea! Here are seven singles by seven different bands -- both A- and B-sides -- showcasing the considerable innovative and diverse talent the revered British indie label has on its current roster. And the sequencing on a sampler like this is everything. Therefore, the wise and wily at Rough Trade have opted to place the Bs first and it's a very wise move, giving punters that bit of unexpected delight first! The Fiery Furnaces kick it all off (and over) with the provocative "Single Again," the flip of their killer "Tropical Island" single (that cut comes later down the line). The track is edgy in sound as well as lyric. The synth lines come right from the Normal or early Gary Numan and the lyric is delivered in Eleanor Friedberger's trademark detached style, but it is (over) loaded emotionally. Following are a pair of tracks by Wolfman, fronted by Peter Doherty. Where "Back from the Dead" is a jagged little ramble through post-punk pop, "For Lovers" is a ballad worthy of Gavin Friday at his best. In its sheer wispy freshness, "What You Do," recorded by Aberfeldy, a Scottish five-piece fronted by songwriter Riley Briggs, is one of the more sincere and limpid love songs to have come down the pike in a dog's age. And the fact that this band records its gorgeous vocal harmonies around a single microphone makes for such an intimate experience that listeners will be tempted to replay it and its folky scampish flip, "Vegetarian Restaurant," repeatedly. Art Brut's "Bad Weekend" and "Formed a Band" are the rockist entries here; this skittering shambolic Cockney guitar rock has much in common with Wire's Pink Flag and Alternative TV. Dublin's elegant blue-eyed soul popsters Hal weigh in with "Worry About the Wind" and "Out Tonight," as glamorously innocent as anything countryman Jimmy O'Neil ever wrote. Cornershop weigh in with "Topknot" and "Natch," two utterly beguiling bits of Punjabi folk music over shimmering, airy Brit funk. But what makes these tracks shine are the sugar-sweet and wide-eyed vocals of Bubbley Kaur, who had never sung on a record before this. Berwick's Eastern Lane are also here with their surprise hit "Saffron" (a former Rough Trade single of the week pick) and their equally wonderful "Take Me Lonely" on the down side to round things out. In addition, the disc includes a video for the Wolfman track, "For Lovers." This is one hell of a bargain for the price, and it's safe to say that, unlike most samplers of this type, these modern sounds of the British Isles will sound squeaky new and untarnished long after the punters have forgotten about them. Here is, ironically on a CD, evidence that the indie 45-rpm aesthetic is alive and well on Rough Trade. ~ Thom Jurek, Rovi
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Add this copy of Rough Trade Field Guide to Music 1 to cart. $10.49, new condition, Sold by Music Fiendz rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from South Hackensack, NJ, UNITED STATES, published 2004 by Sanctuary Records.
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