Various - Pastepunk 10th Anniversary Compiklation [CD]
 

So, it’s that time of the year again – I have fitted mud flaps on my car, invested in a good quality anti-freeze and ice scraper, put my Converse at the back of the wardrobe, taken a sudden interest in vegetable soup and am on the look out for a good pair of gloves. Welcome to winter. It has taken me a while to come to terms with it, but I am now finally prepared to accept that we have quite possibly vaulted from Spring straight into Winter landing feet first in a freezing cold puddle of crappy brown water. All that keeps a smile on my face is the prospect of chocolate in tubes now being on sale in supermarkets in the run up to Christmas and the avalanche of new music that usually falls upon us in the chilly months. An example of which, is Pastepunk’s (a website pretty similar to this, but not quite as good) release of ‘Compiklation’ which is um, a compilation.

This release marks and celebrates the 10th anniversary of the sites existence and is basically an exhibition of what it does and what it stands for and supports. Far removed from the likes of the annual Now! Compilations, this is rammed with punk, alternative and general rock and roll winter warmers. The range of diversity from one track to the next is admirable, and the compilation manages to squeeze in as many sub genres as possible. An example of this is the jump from Union Square’s early Offspring influenced ‘De La Hoya’ to the mild and relaxing ‘That The Sound I Make Would Be Worth Hearing’ by DrivingOnCitySideWalks’. This is a good thing though right? Nope.

This is because although Pastepunk itself is diverse in terms of its content, this doesn’t come across too well on the Compiklation, because it simply doesn’t flow. Tracks like ‘Sing Yourself To Sleep’ by Jena Berlin and La Dispute’s ‘Only Everything Below’ show how incredibly creative and forwardthinking some of the artists on the release can be, until they are then tragically let down and contrasted by the ashamedly unoriginal offerings from the likes of Jumpercable, Paper The Operator and One Win Choice.

Then inclusion of the hardcore punk tracks on Compiklation is a real let down to the overall quality of the release; and not necessarily just because of their common genre, but more so because it does not have a place on this particular track listing – they stick out from the well written and creative tracks (not in a good way) like a bottle of Lambrini in an elderly English gentleman’s vintage wine cellar and as much as I hate to say it, lower the tone of Pastepunk’s compilation. Despite this, Compiklation boasts of a great line up and is a great way of staying in touch with new emerging talent. And drab hardcore punk.