Album Review

Released about a year ago, this compilation - twenty bands strong - showcases a range of material, from the ‘90s(yet timeless!) southern-California punk of Off The Recordto the harsh metallic hardcore of South African natives Neshamah, and traversing through old-school punk, emo and even some radio-friendly rock, as Floodgate Records‘ Forever Changed make an appearance with an early version of ‘Consequences‘, minus the slick production of their debut album - but a good song is a good song. All the old Indie Vision bands(founder Brandon Jones folded the record label earlier this year) show up for the spotlight, the standout cut being Dismissed‘s ‘Bittersweet‘, a fine slice of heavy, Thursday-esque emocore. Even punk mainstays The Huntingtons contribute a typically Ramones-styled tune called ‘I Just Want To Feel Alive‘.

....and that‘s just the highlights from the first ten songs; side B, as it were, gets a little grittier. Cuts from Linus(rough yet infectious rock), John Rocky Spirit(expansive, earnest indie) and Chasing Victory(straight-ahead, heavy rock) round out the compilation, along with a surprising turn from ex-Pluto Records band The Underdog Conspiracy, whose ‘Common Bound‘ sounds like what a rough Strike Anywhere preproduction track might resemble. There‘s some clunkers here, as with any compilation(the comp that‘s wall-to-wall good is rare), but overall, this is a solid seventy minutes of music from Indie Vision. Check out the website; it‘s now a very comprehensive webzine with news, reviews, classic material from a slew of oldschool Christian bands, the whole nine yards.

[Indie Vision Music]

- Mike Postma

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