Line Up - A Proper Sampler [Compilation Album]

LineUp Music

October 21, 2009, 05:27 PM

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by robinrenwick [More from this Author]

Buy Line Up - A Proper Sampler [Compilation Album] From Amazon.com

Distribution companies are becoming serious players in the music world. With so many outlets selling music these days, from download sites, to mobile phone ring-tone sellers, as well as the traditional hard copy selling methods, distribution companies are taking a larger role in the marketing of the music that they distribute, as well as a larger share of the profits. "Line Up" music seem to be a sub-division of Proper Distribution, who are a major distribution company. The Line Up sampler is a collection of tracks that highlight the differing artists on the Line Up roster.

The opener by Charlie Winstoon 'In Your Hands' is a nice country music influenced rock song, with able Brass support. 'In Your Hands' begins in a moody and hypnotic texture, building patiently before breaking out into a surprising Alt-Country number. This is a pity as the beginnings of 'In Your Hands' had more than a hint of some of the best Kings of Leon output.

Track Two 'War' by The Hypnotic Brass Ensemble is a strange Acid Jazz effort that sounds at times like a reinvention of the famous Rocky soundtrack. The Line Up sampler then moves into some Nu-Disco / Electro-House with a Felix da Housecat track - 'We all Wanna be Prince,' which features a lot of Funk, some arpeggiated synthesizer lines, some nice 'whip' percussion and a lovely male/female vocal harmony. Immediately we can see that Line Up music, with this "sampler" is attempting to show the diverse range of music and artists on the roster. The diverse and wide ranging genre straddle continues throughout the "Line Up Sampler" with William Orbits sometimes weird, sometimes sublime, ambient textured - 'Purdy' and Dub Colossus' - 'Nega Dub' which merges Dub and Reggae roots to some beautiful tribal production elements. Other highlights include 6 Day Riots' 'Run For Your Life' which is very playful indeed, with a Caribbean rhythm coupled with what I think is a Glaswegian accent, with slight echoes of a funnier, more playful Ting Tings.

The Line Up Sampler is an effective compilation: marketing and highlighting some interesting new artists along with some established ones. The Line Up Sampler gives the listener a taste of some genres that they may have not heard before, and opens our ears up to the kind of quality that Line Up music wants to be associated with.

The Line Up Sampler features Punk, Dub, Bassline, Folk, and even Pan-Asian Rock music, so you get the impression that Line Up sets itself up to cover all bases. Whether a label should straddle so many genres is a question as yet unresolved. A sort of "jack of all trades, master of none" situation. As it stands the Line Up sampler is a diverse and wide ranging promotional album, but definitely one in which, if played in full, tracks may be skipped.