Various Artists - Rocket Racer Triple 7" Box Set
(Rocket Racer)
This box set was originally supposed to be a series of split 7"s before
Rocket Racer decided that it had been too long since there'd been a 7" box
set, so they decided to release it as such. It has an interesting design
theme to denote the six sides of the box, which is a rectangular box filled
at six different levels, one for each side. It also comes with inserts for
each band that are exact copies of the stickers on each 7".
Portal's song, "Pulse" is a flowing wall of ambience driven by a quick beat.
The hushed vocals are subtle and mixed very low, giving the song an
understated feel. A great song!
The And/Ors kind of stand out as the rock band on the box, with a lineup
consisting of guitar, bass, drums, organ, and vocals. However, their song, "Bed
of Nails," is quiet and slow with subdued vocals wich blends in well with
everything else in the box.
"Summersend" is Yellow 6's contribution and is (of course) my obvious
favorite in the box. The strum of an acoustic guitar every few measures
covered in a washed out lead line gives way to a picked progression
followed delicately by the lead. The electronic drums are there only to
hold things together, never trying to take over or detract from the
gorgeous song.
Lackluster's song, "Mellifluence" is a sparse wash of ambience, consisting
mainly of a quiet, barely attention-grabbing beat and a few tones that fade
in and out. Random squeaks and quiet crashes punctuate the song and give
it a unique character.
Styrofoam's "So They Never Talked" has a heavy beat and thick keyboard
melodies which are layered with clicks and taps to create a focused rhythm.
The keyboard is then layered with an organ, and the beat gains a few extra
layers, and so on. The layers are shed quickly, and in different order from
how they were built. This accents different parts of the song very
effectively.
Tank finish off the box with "Twist/Run/Repulsion." Delayed guitar
riffs and melodies are played through an electronic beat until the rhythm
gains momentum and the riffs turn to steady notes with the beat. Moog tones
come in, followed by a keyboard melody which ends the song.
This is a great set of 7"s, and the packaging theme is just the sort of
thing I'm a sucker for. I must agree with Rocket Racer that it has been too long
since a set like this was released. Hopefully this set will encourage other
labels to follow suit.
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