REVIEW: Various Artists, Nowcore! The Punk Rock
Evolution
- Kerwin So
K-tel has jumped into the late '90s just in time with this collection of tracks from bands that have hovered beneath America's rock radar for the past 7 years. As they did with the starlight pop hits of the '60s and '70s, and the new wave hits of the '80s, K-tel attempts to document a particular sound, arguably a scene or an overall musical trend. "It isn't the way it sounds," writes Punk Planet's Josh Hooten in the liner notes. "It's the way it feels."
The bands represented here definitely share a certain "feel." Whether they be Modest Mouse, The Promise Ring, or Braid, most of these groups ostensibly hold firm places in the record collection of what one writer deemed "wallet-chain America." Adding more melody, dynamics, and instrumental breaks to punk rock's energetic structure, most modern-day emo/post-whatever bands (as accurately documented in Nowcore) eschew punk's traditionally political stance for more introspective lyrics, with a keen inclination towards the subject matter of girls, relationships on rocky shores, and the like. K-tel deserves a lot of credit for picking the signature songs of many of these bands, from Mineral's insistent, tenderly anguished "ForIvadell," to Knapsack's "Decorate the Spine," which showcases singer Blair Shehan's startling ability to upshift from a cloying, fey vocal into a menacing hardcore growl at an instant's notice. Post- punk icon J. Robbins is also adequately represented in this compilation, with tracks from Jawbox and Burning Airlines appearing next to Robbins-produced songs like Texas is the Reason's " Jack with One Eye." Hum's dreamy, heavy 1995 alterna-radio hit "Stars" (once Howard Stern's favorite song) also makes a welcome and worthy appearance, and say what you will about Samiam 'selling out,' their 1998 song "She Found You" rips the lid off this comp with the purest adrenaline rush of punk-pop you've probably heard in three years.
Even the packaging for Nowcore manages to impress: instead of your standard chintzy CD insert, you get passionate liner notes packed with catchy slogans tucked inside a nice envelope with more catchy slogans. As C. Montgomery Burns might say, I know what I hate, and I don't hate this. There's only a few problems with Nowcore, the main one being that it's a tough sell. People who already like these bands will have most of these songs already, as they are all album tracks, and more mainstream music consumers scooping up the latest Jewel and Bush albums may not be interested in any of the bands listed here. Worst of all, after 16 songs, most of these bands begin to sound - well, alike. Although Nowcore is a valiant and altogether on-target compilation, your time would probably be better spent digging up the actual albums from which this CD drew its selections. Start with the Promise Ring and let me know what all the hype is about.
TRACK LISTING: The Promise Ring - Why Did We Ever Meet, Hum - Stars, Seaweed - Start With, Modest Mouse - Convenient Parking, Braid - New Nathan Detroits, At the Drive In - For Now We Toast, Mineral - ForIvadell, Compound Red - Versus the Ocean, Samiam - She Found You, Burning Airlines - Wheaton Calling, Unwound - Unauthorized Autobiography, The Dismemberment Plan - The Ice of Boston, Drive Like Jehu - Caress, Texas is the Reason - A Jack with One Eye, Knapsack - Decorate the Spine, Jawbox - Savory
