Real B.C. Homegrown Compilation Volume 1

Review by Alphonse Leong

The good news about this 14-band B.C. compilation CD is that nothing really sucks, which is pretty good for a compilation. But, then again, only a handful of the songs really grab your attention.

The standout tracks include "Please Hang Up" by Dog Eat Dogma (essentially a paranoid telephone rant set against a metal backdrop!), "Human Waste" by Hissy Fit (gutsy vocals that'll make you feel hoarse) and the stark, scruffy-rockin' "Deep Sea River" by the Spitbugs. Cirkus Mind are allowed three songs (it's their label, after all), and a decent one called "Standing on the Edge" sounds like early Sloan with Joe Strummer on lead vocals. About the only tune that made me actually grimace was Grace Road's "Listen," sung with such a thickly-tortured delivery that I had to work hard to make out the lyrics -- and to keep myself from pressing 'skip.'

Indie compilations are often slapped together and forgotten, but this one does feature high production values and slick packaging (including a lengthy insert), which should help it get noticed out there in the musical jungle.

Artist Contact Info: P.O Box 65-2831, Shaughnessy St., Port Coquitlam, B.C., Canada, V3C 3H1