Various Artists

Editor's Review:

Six regional ensembles are given the stage in Wild Oak's Bands Gone Wild: Simplistic gives you rousing, powerful balladry, while Thirst tugs your heartstrings with their melancholic and earnest alt-rock. Sung and screamed vocals prick your ears from Silence, who sound like early Deftones. Pyre, from Sacramento, has a female vocalist with a wispy but powerful voice that's perfect for the trip-pop they make; the album's closers, Nomy 5, turn out multi-faceted rock led by nimble bass work. However, if I had to pick any band off this CD that stands out as a candidate for mainstream success, it would be 40 Watt Hype, with their inspired Latin-flavored strut and groove. This disc is a stellar example of what's wrong with dismissing the semi-local scene; the bands are not only proficient, but they know how to craft genuinely engaging songs.
- Raphael di Donato
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Record Label Wild Oak Records Released November 2002

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