5. Saddle Up and Love it (Saddle Creek Records and Lovitt Records)Although Hot Topic is the last place one wants to end up in pursuit of beautiful music, the advent of EmTeeVindie has allowed a few really good bands to slip through the cracks of mainstream entertainment. It just so happens that most of these bands are currently signed to Omaha, Nebraska based Saddle Creek Records. With a fairly mundayne collage of SCR songs (such as Supine to Sit, The Faint, and Bright Eyes single "Take It Easy (Love Nothing)"), the real peak is Lovitt Records' split on the album (Ex-Maximilien Colby conglomerate Sleepytime Trio is signed to Lovitt). "Around What's Done" by Bats and Mice may in fact have made the CD, rather than Saddle Creek's more widely-known songs by Oberst and friends, and contributions by Division of Laura Lee and Fin Fang Foom balance the slower, melodic sound that Saddle Creek is famous for. The album is an inimitable listen with a lot of cohesiveness and a flow that is entirely uncommon to independent record labels today.
4. Location is Everything: Volume 2 (Jade Tree Records)It seems to me, in modern music, that most labels go out of their way to make sure that the bands they are promoting are united by similar styles of music (Many even going to the point of splitting their label to differentiate genres). Visiting Jade Tree Records' Myspace though can (in the words of Joe Pesci) "...put that theory to sleep." Jade Tree Records is one of those labels that most people only know one or two acts from, but unlike Saddle Creek Records or Bloodtown. They are never the same bands. If you are talking to kids in more aggressive circles they are likely to name drop From Ashes Rise, Challenger or These Arms Are Snakes. While if you are into the coffee shop quiet set, you are liable to hear someone (presumably with an underbeard) discussing the genius behind Onelinedrawing or Jets To Brazil's intellectual diversion from the grunge rock scene that C-Sectioned them. The one thing that can be said about any band on Jade Tree Records is that they are all incredibly original. Every band present on this compilation has broken rules of their scene and created something beautiful and influential in their image. The album does a great job of picking songs which represent this revolutionary binding tie, while still having the ability to convince somebody completely unfamiliar with the rules of any scene that what the song is doing is counter-intuitive. In a generation and market marked almost completely by unoriginality, Jade Tree's Location is Everything 2, is nothing short of necessary.
3. Revelation 100: A 15 Year Retrospective of Rare Recordings (Revelation Records)The primary purpose of label samplers is to give any member of the public that will lend it's ears a taste of what the label supports and believes without any tricky words to turn complicated emotions into overwrought dramatics (see Tooth and Nail Records). It is rare that a label compilation dares to do something besides give the public a sample. Unlike Jade Tree, Revelation Records is in the business of hard music. They have turned Shai Hulud, Himsa and Youth of Today into household names while simultaneously giving birth to the emotive hardcore legacy that bands like Elliott and Texas is the Reason picked up on when true "emo" died in the mid-90's. Because Revelation is one of those labels that likely releases more albums on vinyl than they do on compact disc in a year, their vaults are full of hidden treasures. Splits, Singles, EPs, and the coveted Promotional Japanese editions are full of songs that must wait to be heard until a label produces a rarities comp. Being familiar with most Revelation Records bands already, I bought this compilation and was nothing short of impressed. The first track on it, is Curl Up and Die's "Nuclear Waste? Bring that Shit." Which is only to be found on their "But the Past Aint Through With Us" EP. The bright sun is this constellation, however, seems to divert from the title of the record entirely. Elliott begun as a progressive punk act when they first released US Songs in 1998. Although, it is not a selection from US Songs that made the final cut of the compilation. Instead, Revelation chose "Away We Drift" off 2003's airy and melodic Song in the Air. At first glance, it would seem to make little sense, but without the passionate melody of Elliot's contribution, the album is sure to be discarded by many unwilling to discover the infinite passion present in the lyrics of even the most aggressive acts, on the CD. On a side note, Since By Man represents the 262.
2. Location is Everything: Volume 1 (Jade Tree Records)Whatever, Backwoods Nation by Pedro the Lion is an incredible song. Also Tim Owen's chrono quartet has earned two spots on this list.
1. 80 Records and We're Not Broke Yet (Level Plane Records)The album is a dual disc, the first being a label sampler and the second being a collection of rarities and live recordings from bands like Envy, melt-banana and Hot Cross. In addition to being the New York Yankees of screamo acts, Level Plane now produces Cinema-Grindcore pioneers (or at least necromancers, after Mortician has been deceased for quite some time) Graf Orlock, as well as spiritual acoustic songwriter Hrishikesh Hirway also known as the One Am Radio. The selling point and victory of this CD (besides opening with a band they had just signed), is its closing. The final song of the second disc is City of Caterpillar's epic, 11 and a half minute, live-recording "Drive Spain Up a Wall." The song is like a story one reads with their ears. It begins with a dark, dissonant lead guitar playing in 3/8 time and picks up. The song then builds and builds adding the entire band in intervals until bass/vocalist Kevin Longendyke is the only one resigned to observation. After 7 minutes of this rising, the music climaxes and breaks into what can only be described the most beautiful dose of chaos the listener's ears will ever receive until the end of the song when the music once again slopes down and completes the masterpiece. The second disc is full of such titles, but Level Plane proves they know how to save the best for last and whatever doubt there was that this album, this label this credo was anything short of groundbreaking is erased by the 10th minute of "Spain".
