Various - What You Hear Today, You'll Be Singing Tomorrow

by Laura Branch

published: 17 / 12 / 2001

Various - What You Hear Today, You'll Be Singing Tomorrow

Label: Firestation Tower
Format: CD

This conservative indie pop compilation was originally released way back in 1997 in the death throes of Britpop when people still strutted around with a certain amount of pride in their gazelle traine

Review

This conservative indie pop compilation was originally released way back in 1997 in the death throes of Britpop when people still strutted around with a certain amount of pride in their gazelle trainers, boot cut jeans and skinny fit t-shirts. Aah those were the days. But even then, the ghosts of the floppy haired 1980's still lived on and this is a testament to it. There are plenty of effeminate sounding young boys, which is a very good thing indeed, compounded by delicate, downbeat yet milldy saccharine tunes making it at times quite soporific, but in the nicest possible way. Of the nineteen tracks, 'Older and Wiser' by Blochin 81 is perhaps the standout. They are the German hybrid of Belle and Sebastian and the High Llamas and have plenty of melodious girl/boy vocals. It's all very reminiscent of the kind of song they teach you on Playdays and would be a show stopping number in a twee musical - all quite childlike but with an edge of refined lounge cool. Even more refined are the soothing ethereal tones of Malory with ultra delicate siren-esque vocals that beat the Emperor's new clothes that is Dido any day. It is not all , however, cutesy twee pop, in fact far from it. Brideshead are very vaguely reminiscent of the Smiths et al, which means by default that I should hate them with a vengeance, yet I don't - their spiky yet polite sounding vocals are really quite endearing. The odd bit of electro pop finds a home here too in the form of Elegant who opt for a drum machine rather than a humanoid version - huzzah! Thank the Lord for the 1980's - even if everyone did have to wear batwing tops. In a similar vein is Intershop who open with what seems like the sound of a missile launcher and follow it up with chunky guitars and girls who don't sound twee and consequently as if they're about to die - which makes a nice change. Soap on the other hand, provide us with more fragile boys who sound a bit like Menswear and a bit like Bennet, which is oddly pleasing. These are, however, for me pretty much the highlights of the album. One of the inevitable pitfalls of such compilations is that the songs disappear into a meaningless blur, which perhaps doesn't do justice to all of the tracks. And if like me you have the attention span of a gnat then you may find that 70 minutes of often fairly similar tunes is almost impossible to sit through. Although much of the album may bypass you on first listen, persevere, however, and you'll discover some truly delightful bands whether they be the madly twee Blochin 81 or the more introspective Brideshead.

Track Listing:-

1 Monostars : Keine Schonheit
2 Brideshead : Shampoo Bubble
3 Luma : Uber Solche Sachen
4 Soap : Swine
5 Intershop : My Plastic
6 Planet 9 : Speech
7 Lovit : Alright
8 Blochin 81 Older And Wiser
9 Wow And Flatter : Easy Life
10 Mauerblumchen Brie : Happiness Is Not For Me
11 Mrs Wallace : Crack
12 Malory : Worry About Something
13 Phoenix Asteroiden : Sternenstaub
14 Pancake Day : Waterfalls
15 Damp 2000 : Drin
16 Elegant : Blindganger
17 Stutter : Keks
18 Der Heitere Himmel : Brodel
19 Lobsters Lost In Space : Hole In My Sky