Deep Elm Records has done it again. They have managed to put out yet another great compilation, a real compilation, not a CD made up of songs that the label has already released on other full lengths. Actually, I believe none of these bands are signed to Deep Elm, at least not yet. Five Speed, from Tempe, AZ, start out the CD with their aggressive post-punk sound, cool tune. Next up is Red Animal War from Dallas, TX. They have more of that classic emo-rock sound. The John Doe Band from Vanersborg, Sweden, contribute one of my favorite tracks, more jazzy at the beginning and a lot more pop punk than any of the other songs on this comp. They even hit you with some doo-doo-dooohhh's. Ed Matus' Struggle is next and they are from Miami, FL, and they are pretty good. I actually think I may have heard this song before, but maybe not. They have more of a "dreamy" indie rock sound, yet aggressive to a certain degree. Aina is from Barcelona, Spain, and contribute a typical-sounding indie rock tune. It's good, just nothing special. Further Seems Forever, from Miami, FL, contribute what is probably my favorite song on the comp with their post-punk driven melodic rock. Keystone Sinatra, yet another band from Sweden (did Starmarket point all these Swedish bands out to the Deep Elm folks?), contribute yet another cool tune. The Movielife, a melodic hardcore band from Long Island, NY, also contribute a song. This song was kind of boring. Most of the songs on their new full length are better. Spy Versus Spy, from England, who have a few releases on Southern Records, and one of the only bands that I was really familiar with, contribute yet another favorite of mine. I guess they are considered emo or indie rock. Either way, they are cool. They have that one dude who sings, and the other guy kind of just yells with a bunch of emotion. ODG are from Barcelona, Spain, and kind of have a pop punk sound, I suppose. Merrick, from San Francisco, also have a punk-rock-meets-emo feel (like some Braid and Get Up Kids material), the song on this CD is called "Milk and Lots More" and it's so rad. The CD finishes out with a rather boring ending, which is something that I have noticed with the other Emo Diaries compilations. The band that contributes this rather boring song is Flux Capacitor from Atlanta, GA. Cool band name, but the song just doesn't do anything for me. It's not bad musically, just boring and doesn't really go with the flow of the CD. It takes about a minute until you can even realize there is another song coming on. The first minute--almost minute thirty--is just this light hum. It's also extremely repetitive. Plus, it's a mellow instrumental, blah. But overall, this is one great CD. If you're not really familiar with the whole emo/indie rock genre, then this CD is a good start to get yourself acquainted with it. Most of the bands sound nothing at all like each other, and all the material is previously unreleased
B
Other coverage for this album
Bandoppler 1999Reviewed by Treble BandopplerThis is chapter four in the ongoing saga of emo, presented by who else but those passionate kids at Deep Elm. They have collected twelve bands for this one, almost all of them exhibiting a certain amount of ingenuity and artistry. In my mind, Five Speed was a stand out, with "What's Our Dilemma," a power-pop type of song, reminiscent of Brandtson's "Letterbox" work. The intro is great, with a…Decapolis 1999Reviewed by ConradThis emo compilation has a lot of more rock than emo. This album is not that great but has its bright spots. First off the best song by far is Further Seems Forever: A+ for their incredible rock/pop effort, flat out incredible song. Tied for second is Five Speed (Rock) and Merrick (Rock/Punk) both A's, great rock songs. A 'B' goes to John Doe with a really good radio rock song. The rest of the…Decapolis 1999Reviewed by TimFurther Seems Forever and Merrick have good songs. The rest are the same old same old. I'm not going to bother talking about this because by now everyone should know my bias against Emo. Further Seems Forever and Merrick are the exceptions to this. They get B+'s and the rest get D's. D+
