Various - These Are The Songs We Always Wanted to Hear

by Jonjo McNeill

published: 26 / 3 / 2003

Various - These Are The Songs We Always Wanted to Hear

Label: Firestation Tower
Format: CD

Essential indiepop "summer listening" on latest compilation from the German label, Firestation Tower Records

Review

A taster for German label Firestation Tower Records, ‘These Are the Songs We Always Wanted To Hear’ is a 19 track compilation of smiley happy indie pop. And it’s pretty damn good as well. I’d never heard of any of these bands, but needed to find out more about at least half of them after hearing their tunes on this CD. Carrots, of whom I cannot find anything, provide album opener ‘Sunshine’, and it sets the tone with its breezy harmonies and jangly guitars. Sounding very much like Teenage Fanclub, there’s also an air of the Wannadies in the backing singing, and whilst being a bit ‘wet’ is actually very good. The same can be said for Seaside Stars’ ‘Fall’, a slightly faster version of ‘Sparky’s Dream’. Synth-pop makes an appearance in the shape of Lifestyle’s ‘Are you Coming on to Me?’ which contains the classic lyric ‘We know that your best friend is my ex-girlfriend / And she’s a human who’s insane’. The singer might sound like he used to be in Speedy, but the lyrics and pace make up for his weak voice. ‘Dreammachine’ by Goldstoned is a lounge ballad, reminiscent of the Divine Comedy, without Neil Hannon’s irritating croon, whilst The Cherry Orchard sound so much like Ooberman I’d be surprised to see both bands in the same room at the same time. There’s nothing totally original on this CD, and all the bands seem to share the same influences, but the strong song writing displayed on over half the tracks makes for good listening. Whilst I could take or leave some of the songs, there’s enough on here to warrant further listening, and I’d certainly look out for Carrots and Goldstoned in the future. As a taster for a label you may not have heard of, this serves its purpose well, as a collection of songs to swig cold beer in the sunshine to, it excels itself. Good summer listening.

Track Listing:-

1 Carrots-Sunshine
2 Seaside Stars-Fall
3 Lifestyle- Are you coming on to me
4 The O5-I feel love
5 Phony-If you can't love yourself
6 Goldstoned-Dreammachine (but...now love has gone)
7 Olympic Lifts-Horizontically vertical (Cubismo Gra
8 Geffen- The Unattainable things
9 Greg Murray- Orange Peel
10 Slipslide-Sleeptalk
11 The Cherry Orchard-Streets of your town
12 Alex Lowe-A new beginning ends
13 The Blue Chairs-Ask me tomorrow
14 Stagger Lee-Four families
15 Jackethive-Judy (Demo)
16 Belasco-Mask
17 Call and response-California floating in space
18 Jonny Jonny-Style
19 Ephemera-Bye