Man, while I was getting all caught up in this synthetic '80s revival shit, I
almost forgot to pay some well-deserved attention to the loads of rock
bands shaking seedy dives and dirty basements all over the world. That
is, until a compilation from Wantage Records showed up at my door. And,
my lord, is it exhaustive. Compiled by Wantage founder Josh Vanek, the
two-CD collection adds up to 47 songs. Now, if you like nasty, dirty, quirky
underground rock music, there is no reason you shouldn't dole out the 10
or so bones for this comp. Not only will it give you a taste of what's
been splitting ears and whetting D.I.Y. rock appetites in small towns
everywhere (such as Missoula, Mont., Portland, Ore., Denver, Colo. and
Bellingham, Wash.), but having this comp around is like having a couple of
your favorite mix-tapes on hand.
While there is a consistent edge of
loudness, grit and pleasant imperfection throughout, the collection mixes it up with disparate sounds, satisfying the need for variety. Whether it's
loveable, tongue-in-cheek pop from Oblio Jones ("Good Neighbor"), the
futuristic hardcore of Point Line Plane ("Descender"), rockabilly-informed
punk rock from Hellgate Stranglers, or the groove-heavy angular punk
rock of The Lights ("Your Boyfriend Has a Pretty Machine"), it
all feels natural sitting side by side. Though the majority of the
collection consists of tracks by U.S. bands, a few by Latvian underground bands —
such as Skyforger (hard-hitting sludge metal), Enu Kabinets (quirky
guitar-driven electro pop), and Balozu Pilni Pagalmi (minimal, galloping
acoustic punk) — make their way into the mix, thanks to the fact Vanek used to
live there. And that's just Disc One, which closes appropriately with a
great country ditty from Last of the Juanitas' honky-tonk side project, Juanita Family and Friends, called "His Cold Heart."
Disc Two kicks
off with some heavy metal (instrumental, black, death and otherwise)
from Le Force, Federation X and Bloodhag (yes, in that order) before
moving into the idiosyncratic, wiry punk-rock sound from Dub Narcotic (K
Records founder Calvin Johnson's band) and, later, almighty thrashing,
ass-kicking, hard, hard punk rock by Replicator. The Joggers offer
the angular, technical indie-rock song "Hot Autism," while Volumen
deliver catchy, cloudy post-punk with "Pandemonium." The Planet The's
futuristic, robotic, electronic "Mouth and Hands" stands apart from the rest
simply (and obviously) for its exclusion of the guitar.
Norway even shows up on the comp, thanks to the inclusion of "Drid
Machine" by Norwegian heavy and ominous instru-metal act Noxagt. Disc Two
closes with an impressive live version of "Extra Man" from the spiraling,
out-of-control hard-rockers the Fucking Champs. Wantage USA's 21st
Release is basically a documentation of everything Vanek dug at the time
he put it together. And, with his ear to the dirty rock/metal/punk underground,
you'll be glad he's the guy that mixed you the tape.
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