Various - A Room Full Of Tuneful

  by Olga Sladeckova

published: 23 / 5 / 2002

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Review

Melodic Records was born in 1998 in Manchester, and specialises in leftfield and instrumental music. ‘A Room Full Of Tuneful’ is the label's tenth Melodic release and compiles together eleven artists across twelve tracks. Pedro, the first of these, is the only act to contribute two songs. The mysterious flute that appears on the first of these tracks 'Lay Down Meg Man’ acts as a perfect introduction to the compilation, which, while sometimes inspiring, is rarely overwhelming. There is no real tune to follow but streams of melodies scathe together, while the second track, ‘Seven Eight’, is slightly more coordinated and has an electronic feel. ‘Feel Tied Down’by Tex La Homa is the only song with vocals. The words "you know she is thinking about you" romanticize the song, and float on top of the softened sound of drums and calm synthesizers . I was doubtful, however, listening to ‘Weather Clicker’ by Baikonour whether the song wasn’t recorded at rehearsal. The song has an untidy sound, throwing together a bass guitar, drums, and keyboard and then piling the sound up with a synthesizer. The next Noakes Pressure’s 'Weaves Tickling The Ivories…’ is so similarly structured that you barely notice that the CD has gone onto another track. ‘Down, Burst & Tired’ by Lucky Piere in contrast, however, reminds me of Violet Indiana (the London based band fronted bythe former Cocteau Twin Robin Guthrie) with its laid back sound. The closing song, ‘Stephanie’ by Dreams Of Tall Buildings, is very much an echo of to the whole compilation, as doesn’t have any strong feature to tie to. ‘A Room Full Of Tuneful’ will give you an idea of the type of music that Melodic Records is targeting. There are several moments of instrumental beauty, but a lot of it lacks strong features and has such a uncoordinated sound that it is definitely an album for acquired tastes.

Track Listing:-

1 Pedro - Lay Down Mega Man
2 Topo Gigio - Locked Out
3 Tex La Homa - Feel Tied Down
4 Pedro - Seven Eight
5 Chessie - Daylight
6 Empire State - The Elements Of A Wish
7 Bronze Age Fox - Real Nudies
8 Baikonour - Weather Clicker
9 Noakes Pressure - Weaves Tickling The Ivories
10 Lucky Pierre - Dawn, Burst and Tired
11 Minotaur Shock - Lady Came From Baltic Wharf
12 Dreams Of Tall Buildings - Stephanie