Various - Too Young To Die

  by Benjamin Howarth

published: 26 / 10 / 2003

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Review

Deep Elm are releasing another sampler with 'Too Young To Die', which is yet another attempt to get people to take a chance on Deep Elm. It’s surely not been that long since 'Emo Is Awesome/Emo Is Evil' was presented as a definitive collection, but luckily this is a benefit record for the AFSP, an organisation that aims to help prevent youth suicide. This is an admirable cause, and having read the sleeve notes, I have to say that they may well make a small difference somewhere. So bravo….   In all honesty, however, these samplers offer increasingly less to the regular Deep Elm fan. No exclusive tracks, it is purely and simply an advert for the labels releases. But it doesn’t pretend to be anything else, and it is cheap. If you haven’t checked out Deep Elm yet, then this is a worthy purchase. Deep Elm tends to sign bands no one else will touch, and it has unveiled some gems in its time. Not least the post-space-rock of the Appleseed Cast (who offer two tracks here ), the melancholic pop of Brandtson, the fury of Planes Mistaken For Stars, and the jangly guitars of Pop Unknown. This compilation offers something for practically every type of indie rock fan, and it is for a good cause. But if you’re a converted Deep Elm-er then the chances are that you probably have all these songs already !

Track Listing:-

1 Tell Someone, Tell Anyone– A Message From The AFSP
2 Benton Falls– Like Portraits On Walls
3 Red Animal War– Right Now, Today, I Don't Believe In Hell
4 Brandtson– On Three
5 Desert City Soundtrack– Sleeperhold
6 Settlefish– The Beauty That Corrodes
7 David Singer & The Sweet Science (2)– Table Of Elements
8 The Appleseed Cast– Fishing The Sky
9 Red Animal War– Hope
10 Surrounded – Better Not Be So
11 Cross My Heart– How Slowly We Forget
12 Brandtson– Anything And Everything
13 Lewis – Find Your Way
14 David Singer & The Sweet Science – Everything I Should Forget
15 The Appleseed Cast– Blind Man's Arrow
16 Slowride– Sorry For July
17 Camber– P
18 Planes Mistaken For Stars– Standing Still Fast
19 Pop Unknown– Lonely Here With Me
20 White Octave– Style No. 6312