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Various Artists
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Estrus Kamikaze Ass Chomp N' Stomp CD Sampler, Vol. 4
Estrus Records
Release: 6/07/2005
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Rated:
Review by:
Jason Warner
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Compilations are always interesting to review. I once
reviewed a comp by a band that essentially made a mix tape
of songs they liked from other artists, and then threw one of
their own songs on and released it as that band's album. I
think that was not a good compilation. My own band was
featured on a local compilation that was three discs in length
and covered way too much sonic territory. I think that was
also a bad idea. Another comp that I reviewed had about an
hour's worth of filler material apparently gleaned from the
trash bin at an indie record label. Again, a bad
idea.
So, what makes a good compilation? I think a good
compilation should make a point. I think that point should
be concise, like, "Hey, we're a new record label, and here is
a small selection of our artists. Listening to this comp should
give you a general idea of the sounds we offer and the
artists that make those sounds. If you like what you hear on
this sampler we suggest you pick up some other releases by
that artist. Thank you, The Management." A comp should
not be too long. A comp should not have shitty sound
quality, remember, the idea here is to build interest in the
artists with the hope of selling more records by the individual
artists. One comp I listened to had such bad sound quality
that I took it out of my stereo immediately. Only later did I
discover a band on the Internet and start to dig their music,
and then realize that band had a song on that crappy
sounding comp. So, a good comp makes a good first
impression and makes you want to wade through all the
crazy songs to find the good ones.
This brings us to the latest compilation from Estrus Records.
This is a label known for rowdy, dirty rock, some of it
sounding quite garagey, and some quite hi-fi, but all of it
high energy. This is a great comp for lovers of the dirty
rock sound. It offers just the right mix of seriously lo-fi
recordings and some nicely polished sounding tracks from
bands ranging from the completely crazy, DMBQ (from
Japan), to Minneapolis' The Midnight Evils, and many "The"
bands in between, The Von Zippers, The Mistreaters, The
Fall-Outs, and The Bobbyteens, just to name a few. All the
tracks on the sampler offer some ass chomping good times,
but there are a few that rise above the rest. "Take Me to the
Speedway" by The Dexateens is a great song with a
haunting guitar intro, with a downward spiral of gritty
goodness like a gravel milkshake. "Proud Man" from The
DT's is great. My favorite track on the album is "Our Friends
Are Friends" by Total Sound Group Direct Action
Committee.
A nice touch on this compilation is Estrus' inclusion of a
thumbnail photo of the cover of the album from each of the
bands represented. This makes it much easier when sorting
through the record bins to find the album you are looking
for.
This is a good compilation, and highly recommended for the
garage rock lover in your life. While you're at the record
store, pick up a few of the full-lengths and help keep these
degenerate rock and rollers on the road. Estrus Records is
rock and roll. |
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