Various - 22.2

  by John Clarkson

published: 27 / 3 / 2004

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Review

The Paris-based label GG0022 has now been ubeen responsible for over 20 album and EP releases. Its manifesto, as its owner Roland Benedetti describes it, is to "promote without compromise an alternative kind of music, and to discover some of the talents ignored by mainstream record labels." '22 : 2' is GG0022's sixth compilation and, the successor to '22', a previous compilation from three years ago, features all the main acts that have appeared to date in GG0022's roster, and also a few extra special guests. There are two tracks each from the Bishop Invaders, Chut, Choa, and Bloom, all of whom have released at least one album apiece through GG0022, and single tracks as well from another eight acts. One of the common complaints against label retrospectives such as these, which feature entirely exclusive songs, is that they often consist of tracks which the label owners wouldn't dare to inflict on the public anywhere else. Indeed Lucido's theatrical 'Bleu', which has lots of hoarse shouting and jarring, angular percussion, and Chut's 'Solid Deconstruction Mix', which merges distorted sound effects with an equally deranged vocal, might prove far too off-the-wall for many tastes. The overall content of this compilation, most of the tracks of which fit into either the post rock or slacker pop formats , is, however, excellent. In his fellow Parisians Bloom and Choa, Beneditti has come across two genuine finds. The former act on their two songs, 'False Seducer' and 'Domestic Drama', trade tender girl and gruff boy vocals against a backdrop of hazy, chiming electronica with a wonderful ethereal aplomb. The latter, with one of their tracks, the instrumental 'Preaks', balances scuffling, then eventually pealing stabs of synthesiser with dub beats to hypnotic effect. There are other almost equally rich treasures elsewhere. March provide melancholy Joy Division-style atmospherics on the bass-heavy instrumental, 'Between', while Glaswegian band, Vera Cruise, on loan from Loose Records, on their song, the grungish 'Keep All the Lies', add some effective and wiry guitar pop. The album is closed by the quirky Cartesian Lover, whose bubbly and humorous 'Linda' takes an appropriate broad swipe at conventionality. '22 : 2' makes the perfect introduction, and history to date, of GG0022's work. Its alternative form of rock is superb.

Track Listing:-

1 The Bishop Invaders– End Of The Battle
2 Chut! – You Will Have To Plug Me In Twice
3 Vera Cruise– Come Alone And Fall Apart
4 Choa– Preaks
5 Luka – Anna
6 Bloom – False Seducer
7 Bentley – Drummer Lazy
8 Keaton – Money Maker
9 The Bishop Invaders– Tsunami
10 Lucido– Bleu
11 Chut! – Solid Deconstruction Mix
12 March – Between
13 Sexxee Tongue– Drowning
14 Choa– Dancing With Tweens
15 Bloom – Domestic Drama
16 Cartesian Lover– Linda