Search - Various Artists :: KCRW's Sounds Eclectic: The Next One (Amazon.com Exclusive)

Some good tunes - but there's not enough cheese to go with t

The Matrix Fan | 12/15/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Upon getting Sounds Eclectic from Amazon, I really didn't know what to expect, save for the definition of the term eclectic:



"To make up or combine elements from varied sources."



I'll give my thoughts on each of the 12 songs below.



"Falling Slowly" by The Swell Season: In this duet, the male vocalist reminded me of Cat Stevens. The song combined a haunting piano melody with an acoustic guitar. This song is easy on the ears after a stressful day.



"Heart It Races" by Architecture in Helsinki: While the synthesizer & steelpan tune are fun to listen to, the lyrics sound like screeching. I would have liked this tune a bit more without the lyrics.



"Australia" by The Shins: I knew I had heard this song before, but it took me a while to remember - it was in the video game Project Gotham Racing 4. This is a fun little tune which conjures up images of driving with the top down, even if you've never played the game before.



"Until You Leave" by Stoney: I didn't get much out of this song. Melancholic lyrics like "There's nothing to do, you either get pissed up or you move" make this little more than a whiny ballad for me.



"You're a Wolf" by Sea Wolf: Here's another haunting melody on acoustic guitar. The lyrics tell the tale of a man (wolf?) torn between finding his lady love and heeding the warnings of an old gypsy. Another one I enjoyed.



"Home" by Great Northern: Remember the movie 21? Well, this song was in it. It's one of those songs that fit well into a romance film. The female singer reminds me of Elizabeth Thompson from the band "Medicine" - listen to the song "Time Baby III" on "The Crow" soundtrack, and you'll see what I mean.



"I Summon You" by Spoon: I like the peppy guitar riff and the floating piano melody on this one. Clever lyrics like "you got the weight of the world coming down like a mother's eye" keep this song in my head for hours.



"Fruit Machine" by The Ting Tings: It's not every day that I hear a song about a slot machine luring its prey back to lose all their money, and yet here it is. This song really stands out from the others on this disc. The punk melody is similar to the early Police song, "Driven to Tears".



"What's A Girl To Do" by Bat For Lashes: Here's yet another haunting tune to tug at your heartstrings. The passion is gone from her relationship, but she cares for her man so much, that she can't bear to end it....What's a girl to do, indeed?



"Stranger Than The Stranger" by Oliver Future: I never thought I would hear a song that sounded whinier than "I'm So Sorry" by The Smiths - and after hearing this song, I stand corrected. Not much else I can say.



"Time Bomb" by Goldspot: The sounds of this band remind me of Echo & The Bunnymen. The lyrics in this song don't make a whole lot of sense, but the guitar tune is pretty catchy.



"Life Is Still Beautiful" by The Orange Lights: At the end of the lineup, we get a song about wishing for the pain to go away, and it'll take some time, but since life is still beautiful, it'll be all right. Sorry, but this tune joins the other whiny ballads.



So did this sampler live up to the definition of "eclectic"? Absolutely. There's punk, Caribbean, pop, alternative, and other forms of music to be found here. The songs on this disc have popped up in video games, tv shows and movies.



I enjoyed quite a few songs on this sampler, and I can see myself trying a few bands on for size. Unfortunately, I also filled my quota of "life sucks, let's share our sorrows in song" ballads for the next 6 months.

"

Another good edition to the Sounds Eclectic line up

Sebastian Montgomery | TX | 11/05/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I've been a listener and fan of KCRWs Sounds Eclectic show for quite some time. Broadcasted out of Santa Monica, host Nic Harcourt features a great mix of music, interviews and live recordings during his two hour show.

If you're a fan of indie music, this compilation is worth a listen, as are all the other Sounds Eclectic compilations. This CD is a good mix of both emerging and well known artists. Like all mix CDs (that weren't created by you), not every track is going to be a favorite, but you'll probably leave with one or two new artists you'll want to explore more.

As an interesting aside, this CD is actually replicated on demand by Amazon. Not sure why, but my best guess is to allow a larger catalog of lesser known artists.

"

Solid Sampler

S. Finefrock | Raleigh, NC | 10/24/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"THE NEXT ONE, another in the series of live in the studio recording by Santa Monica radio station KCRW provides a selection of tracks whose unifying characteristics seem to be that, well they're live in the studio and it seems like most are not signed to major labels. Overall, the quality level is consistently good, with a few gems and no real clinkers.



I came into this being familiar with a few tracks and a handful of these artists. Of the ones I am familiar with, the version of the Oscar winning song FALLING SLOWLY (Swell Sessions)is superior to the version on the latest Frames album, though pretty similar to one from the soundtrack of once. Despite this being a tad overexposed, it is a great song and performance. The intricate arrangement of HEART IT RACES by Architecture in Helsinki comes off pretty good in the live setting, but misses the more manic edge of the studio version. AUSTRAILIA by the Shins sounds head and shoulders more livelily here than in its original version. The band would be well advised to record that way in the future. The track by Spoon is great, but no different from the version on GIMME FICTION.



Of the artists that I was unfamiliar with, the two standouts are the Ting Tings and Goldspot. FRUIT MACHINE by the Ting tings is a punky rocker with a nice edge that will more than likely lead me to investigate their debut CD. TIMEBOMB by Goldspot is a lively piece of pop that stuck in my head from the first listen. Also of note is Bat For Lashes thumping WHAT'S A GIRL TO DO, a 80-ish sounding song with a sinister undertone. The rest are good, but have yet to distinguish themselves.



Overall this is a good collection that can introduce a buyer to some good new music. If you like what you hear, be sure to check out KCRW on internet radio as the bands here are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the eclectic playlists of that great station

"