Deep Elm Records has specialized in releasing great emo/post punk music for several years now and with the release of the latest comp Emo Is Awesome/Emo is Evil, they're continuing in the tradition.
This compilation shows off some of the very best of the Deep Elm roster and starts out with "Copper and Stars" by one of their flagship bands, Planes Mistaken For Stars. The song starts out drenched in distortion before going into an excellent swirling guitar melody accompanied by a complex matching bassline. After a moment, everything stops and leaves a single guitar echoing through the speakers before exploding with Gared O'Donnell's soaring vocals.
Red Animal War turns in the record's next track with "Jambalaya" which starts off with an excellent guitar harmonic that's reminiscent of At The Drive-In's later work. Desert City Soundtrack throws some elegant piano runs into "What To Do In Case Of Fire" which floats and smacks of pop perfection. Slowride's "Computer" starts off with a lone cowbell before kicking into a straight ahead punk rock frenzy which only continues with fuzzed out guitars that are built for aggression alongside Dan Phillip's rich vocals.
"Boys Lie" by Brandtson is simply an excellent track with Myk Porter's nasally vocals atop overdriven guitars and laid back drumming. "Aspirin and Alcohol" by Last Days of April has a great lo-fi feel that leads into an excellent bridge complete with a string section before the drums kick back in and the music builds to a climax. Starmarket's "Into The Well" closes the record out with fast paced drumming, choppy guitars and Frederick Brandstrom's shaky vocals.
This is an astounding compilation that does well showing off current and alumni bands from the Deep Elm roster.
B+
