Various Artists

Editor's Review:

Having been thrust into the spotlight through the success of artists like Bright Eyes and The Faint, Omaha, Nebraska’s independent Saddle Creek label, in celebration of its 50th album, has assembled a compendium of all 11 of their current recording artists.
The reason this compilation succeeds where others of its kind fail is due to the nature of the relationships between the artists. Inter-band connectivity within the Saddle Creek roster is quite high, as musicians often split their duties between several bands or guest on each other’s albums, creating a communal vibe. And in such a tight-knit musical community, cross-pollination of musical approaches and styles affect the songs and their presentations, effectively bringing everything together. In addition, the vast bulk of the material was recorded by Mike and A.J. Mogis at Presto! Studios, setting the tracks in the same recording ambience.
Moreover, this compilation provides not a single dullard, not one track that begs for the CD player’s skip button. The song selection and track sequence appear to be chosen with utmost care, as the songs flow naturally from band to band, each of which is represented by one previously released track and one rarity.
This comp not only serves as a great introduction to family of bands that draw from indie rock, singer / songwriter folk, alt-country, experimental pop and new wave, but imparts a great deal of Saddle Creek’s personalities through the enhanced section of the first disc: over 40 home movie shorts, featuring Conor Oberst singing “Y.M.C.A.” with prepubescent girls, The Faint goofing off with No Doubt fans, Saddle Creek deep-frying a Thanksgiving turkey and many live clips.

– Maurice S. Teilmann

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Record Label Saddle Creek Released May 2003

Tracks The Faint – Worked Up So Sexual from Blank-Wave Arcade The Faint – Take Me to the Hospital Now It's Overhead – Wonderful Scar from S / T Now It's Overhead – Dark Cycle Rilo Kiley – With Arms Outstretched from The Execution of all Things Rilo Kiley – Jenny, You’re Barely Alive Cursive – The Martyr from Cursive’s Domestica Cursive – Nonsense Son, Ambulance – A Book Laid On Its Binding from Euphemystic Son, Ambulance – The Moral of Rosa, Parolee Disc 2 Desaparecidos – Man and Wife, The Latter (Damaged Goods) from Read Music / Speak Spanish Desaparecidos – Popn’ Off At the F The Good Life – I Am An Island from Black Out The Good Life – Aftercrash Azure Ray – November from the November EP Azure Ray – Beautiful Things Can Come From The Dark Sorry About Dresden – Sick and Soar from Let It Rest Sorry About Dresden – People Have Parties Mayday – Captain from Old Blood Mayday – Pond Love Bright Eyes – Something Vague from Fevers and Mirrors Bright Eyes – One Foot In Front of the Other