Various Artists

Editor's Review:

The newest compilation from Kill Rock Stars is the middle installment of the label’s current trilogy of various artist collections, reminiscent of the Kill Rock Stars / Stars Kill Rock / Rock Stars Kill collection from the ‘90s. Side note: this series is aptly named Fields and Streams / Tracks and Fields / Roads and Tracks with the final installment due out in ‘05 / ‘06. For those already in the know about the likes of Superchunk and Gravy Train!!!!, this compilation gives insight to the rest of the KRS family; as for the rest of you, consider this a crash course in the world of indie rock (not the be-all-end-all, but it’ll get you by for now). Of the two discs, I mainly avoided the Fields disc, as the first half consisted mostly of harsh electronica — and as Male Slut put it so succinctly, it gives me the “Industrial Noise Blues.” They try to salvage the rest of that CD, and almost succeed as the fragile crooning of Laura Veirs in “Icebound Stream” had me raising an eyebrow in piqued interest — that is, until a substandard cover of The Ramones’ “Rockaway Beach” by Sahara Hotnights left me running for cover. Tracks, however, starts off well with strong samplings from Antietam and Superchunk, leading to back-to-back live performances from Xiu Xiu and Gravy Train!!!!, allowing the listener to cruise through the rest of CD to its finale: a solid pop-rock contribution drenched in melancholia from Alaska! Exposure to many new bands makes this set a worthy pick-up.
– Chris Bender
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Record Label Kill Rock Stars Released May 2004

Tracks Tracks The Legend! – I’m Not Like That Antietam – This Lush Life His Name is Alive – Peace in Detroit Superchunk – Everyone Gets Crushed Bro. Danielson – Our Givest Dos – Make Her Me Gas Huffer – Release the Robots John Wilkes Booze – We’ve Got Room in Outer Space The Capricorns – Steve and Tiffanie Cynthia Dall – Eric’s Song Lovers – birds in the Sky Xiu Xiu – Clowne Towne (live) Gravy Train!!!! – Ghost Boobs (live) The Buff Medways – Pink 14 The Charades – The Only One The Wiretaps – TV Life Brooke – Inside Out Young People – Version Valley Jucifer – Amplifier Total Sound Group Direct Action Committee – Wake Me When I’m Over The King Cobra – This Town Ain’t Big Enough For Both of Us Semiautomatic – Search & Seizure Alaska! – Unknown Fields Shoplifting – Hegemony Enemy Biography of Ferns – John the Barber Radio Berlin – Bight Things Measles Mumps Rubella – Fantastic Success II Slumber Party – Electronic Boots Remix Sleetmute Nightmute – Walking Backwards Need New Body – Ggaannkk Male Slut – Industrial Noise Blues The Paper Chase – I’m Your Doctor Now Devendra O Banhart – Poughkeepsi (Demo) Laura Veirs – Icebound Stream Thanksgiving – The “In the Lake” Nedelle – Begin To Breathe Sahara Hotnights – Rockaway Beach Sweet Heat – Oh Johnny C Average – Stalwart Dead Meadow – Golden Cloud (acoustic) The Decemberists – Everything I Try to Do, Nothing Seems to Turn out Right