Search - Various Artists, Red House Painters, Low :: Shanti Project Collection

An impressive compilation for fans of these bands...

07/29/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The Shanti Project Collection bears tracks of 5 indie, "slow-core" bands, some more known than others. I purchased the cd because I am a Red House Painters fan, and not so much a fan of the others. Indie bands Low, Idaho, Hayden, and Misc also contributed songs to the collection, though it is apparent that RHP was targetted the focal point of the compilation. RHP contributed 4 memorable songs: "Find me, Ruben Olivares" (also on the Mark Kozelek solo effort), Genesis' "Follow You, Follow Me", "Midnight on the Bay" by Young/Stills, and a demo version of "Smokey". My first notion was that the covers would be cheezy, but surprisingly, they came across as original would-be RHP songs. I mean, come on, an old Genesis song from years ago thats still played on the light rock stations? Now I think "Follow You, Follow me" is my favorite RHP song on the disc. However, after seeing how often Mark Kozelek performs covers and less original work makes me wonder if he's starting to lose the muse. Hope not...Because I am not as savvy with the other bands as with RHP, I have to say that the songs are very promising; I have heard Low and Hayden in the past and think they are decent bands. They all mesh well together--all very mellow, slow, and emotional. This is one of those albums that one could fall asleep to. Fans of RHP will also like Mark Kozelek's solo album, "Rock'n' Roll singer"."

Slow-burning, meditative and, ultimately, immaculate

07/15/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Benefit albums are good causes, but from a purely musical perspective, they're usually not that satisfying. Either there's a plethora of big-name throwaway tracks, or the roster is so scattershot that it hardly encourages fluid listening. However, the Shanti Project Collection, benefiting an AIDS help center in San Francisco, takes a welcomed approach in keeping cohesiveness to its spectacular benefit by choosing five bands to fill out the whole CD. San Francisco's Red House Painters wade through their usual magical mix of country and rock, trading electric and acoustic sounds on "Follow You, Follow Me." Their best contribution, and that of the entire album, is a smoldering version of Neil Young's bluesy "Midnight On The Bay." The sleepy, dub-like "Turning Over," from Low, is indicative of this band's inertia-less, yet potent, style. They can make a silly refrain like "Sarah, you're lazy" (from "Lazy"), sound surreal and sublime. The usually lumbering Idaho, meanwhile, revel in Shanti's most groovy track, relatively speaking, "The Sun Is All There Is," accented nicely by a female backup vocalist.Hayden's slo-mo aesthetic and the prancing rhythms of Misc. round out the compilation. All these bands suffer from sad souls and have heavy sounds because of it; a perverse cohesion, sure, but with their intensity, this collection plays out as a slow-burning, meditative and, ultimately, immaculate listen."

A must for any Red House Painters fan!

07/22/1999

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This collection includes 4 incredible Red House Painter Tracks, I am a devoted fan of RHP and these four tracks are absolute gems. The Idaho and Hayden tracks are also very good and add to the value of this CD. I also enjoy much of what Low does, however the Low tracks included here are not new and not my favorites and not as good as the stuff on their new CD."