This is the latest CD from those lovely people at Corndog Records and shows off some of the best bands in the Ipswich (Ippo) scene at the moment. It showcases 11 bands from the scene and I must say, it must be a great town to live in for gigs as there isn’t a dull band on here!
Sinfonic kick it all off and the man behind it is Chris Lawrence. He contributes to this CD with tracks ‘Jive Mother*****er’ and also ‘Jimmy’s House.’ These tracks mix show off some top quality mixing that gets inside of your body and bounces around.
Immortal Alice are next up with ‘Funeral Pinjatas’ which is a really cool track with ’77 style attitude and some awesome vocals. They put in a good effort with this track and I thought that it was the best of their two tracks on the compilation. The other track which is supplied by the band for this compilation is ‘Obvious’ which is also a cool tune with a really catchy chorus that gets you tapping your feet and wishing you were at one of their gigs.
Red Flag 77 are another band choosing the ’77 style and in this compilation are supplying some amazing Punk with tracks ‘How Low’ and ‘Moving On Top.’ I’m sure that if they had been around in ’77 then they would have been massive as their music is of such a high standard and are probably one of the best bands I’ve heard in this style.
Junk Culture are another band from Ipswich churning out some top quality Punk tunes and the ones that they have put on this CD are ‘Going Home’ and ‘Headline.’ These are both awesome tunes with Punk vocals and strong guitar playing. They are a powerful band and get their music across strongly to you and it really gets in your brain and makes you think about what it is that they are saying.
Love Junk come next with their take on Punk and yet again, it is a band that does not disappoint with two good tracks here – ‘Distant Sound’ and ‘Closing Time.’ They know exactly what they are trying to do with their music and are very good at it and this is what makes the tracks so interesting and exciting.
Minority contribute to the compilation with tracks ‘Caffeine For The Pain’ and ‘Deadbeat.’ Again the standard is of a high quality and I feel that the drumming is particularly great and has a really good beat to it. Their tracks are short and to the point so you do not get bored while listening to the tracks and as they are both different I’m guessing that with them you do not get the impression of one long song like you do with Americas supply of Drive-Thru records bands.
Rosco are a female fronted power-pop band and they do it far better than any of the American counterparts. They supply tracks ‘Capital Star’ and ‘Test Drive.’ They have their own unique sound and unlike most bands of this sort they actually have talent so they’re definitely doing something right here! The music is addictive and happy and really they are the sort of band that you wouldn’t mind seeing on top of the charts as they work hard, play well and have great talent unlike most of the manufactured bands that seem to top the charts week in, week out.
Nemo have two tracks here, ‘My Fantasy’ and ‘Junkstars.’ They are another female fronted band and they have a great style here. They also have their own individual sound which they have obviously developed and refined over the years. What they do is good and this is probably how they got to support Feeder at The Mean Fiddler because they definitely deserve to be a successful band and in such a thriving scene there is no reason why they shouldn’t be able to get the recognition they deserve and hit the big time. The track ‘Junkstars’ was a good one to use to finish it all off as it is an extremely powerful song that is very guitar heavy and the vocals are of a very high standard.
Violent Playground, yet another female fronted band supply more good music to this compilation. Yet again having a completely different, but equally good sound they produce some strong music with tracks ‘Years’ and ‘Paranoia.’ I really like the style of their music and if I ever get the chance to then I will definitely go and see them live as turning down the opportunity would have to be a crime, wouldn’t it?!
OK Hotel provides one track for this compilation and this track is ‘Frontcrawl.’ Apparently this band is no more and this is quite a shame because they play some very good music that flows gracefully and is extremely melodic. This track provides great emotion and unlike most bands of the sort, they get their point across without feeling the need to go into a more hardcore sound so obviously they were a band that had great talent for what they did and I’m sure that they will be strongly missed by the Ipswich scene. If any of them create new bands then I would love to see what they would come up with because after this it would be hard to top it but as they are all such great musicians I trust they will all go on to do greater things.
OK, so that leaves one band to go that I haven’t written about that are on this compilation. This band is One Day Life, a three piece pop-punk band from the south east and play it in their own individual style. Their music is catchy and is not just a rip off of another band, they have their own sound and as a result are both pop-punk and highly individual at the same time – something that you don’t tend to get very often. Their music is melodic and catchy and is their own unique take on Punk. It is a good track in my opinion and I am sure that they always manage to put a smile on the crowds face at their gigs.
So, this is a great compilation from the Ipswich label that is Corndog Records and it shows off 11 great bands, so this is unusual because usually when you get a compilation CD there are some strong tracks but also some weaker tracks just to make the CD look less empty. If you are looking for a decent compilation of bands then look no further than this one because some great bands are on show here and the Ipswich label has obviously put a lot of effort into this one. Not only do you get 20 amazing tracks from 11 great band but you also get a 20 page full colour booklet with a DVD style case. So, it is a great way to spend £6 and well worth the money. Quickly get yourself one of these babies as they have limited it to 150 copies and it is sure to sell out quick.
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UK based film graduate with a huge passion for music, sports and video games.
