44 bands from Columbia, Missouri, USA.
2 cd's, deluxe packaging with a booklet we could barely stuff into the jewel case. The booklet includes a six panel fold-out watercolor panorama of 9th street by David Friesen.
#1 on KCOU, early December 2005
#15 most added, CMJ New Music Report, early December 2005
It sounds as good as volume 1, and looks much better.
Disc one is the more "accessible" disc. Disc two is more irreverant.
Comomusic Anthology 1990-2005 Volume 2 (Painfully Midwestern Records)
*********
ERASING CLOUDS review:
If Comomusic Anthology 1990-2005, Volume 1 didn't teach you a thing or two about Columbia, Missouri, Volume 2 is another chance to get schooled. The CD booklet presents a great drawing of downtown Columbia, and a photo collage of the city. Yet the chief focus is of course music; Volume 2, like Volume 1, is an endearing celebration of Columbia's local bands. Where the first set contained numerous bands from the first half of that 1990-2005 date range, this volume is much more centered on the past few years. There are some exceptions, like Sofa Kit XL's excellent manifesto "Sissy" ("I don't want to play in a band / where only the girlfriends dance"), Untamed Youth's racuous surf-rock number "PBR" (actually from 1988), and a track from supergroup At Proper Distance (featuring Dwight Douglas from the beloved Incontinentals on vocals). But the overall emphasis of the 2-cd Volume 2 is to show what's going on in Columbia now, and it certainly sounds like there's a lot going on. The bulk of the bands play rock n' roll, each with its own style and personality. Wes Wingate opens the set with a power-pop song that has echos of a particular Big Star classic in its melody; Holy Frog closes it with an instrumental built from layers of electric guitars that build an atmosphere yet push forward. In between there's a host of loud and wild rock bands - drawing from post-punk, garage rock, punk, metal, and college-rock traditions yet doing their own thing - plus the ocasional trip to another genre (The People's Republic of Klezmerica, for example). In the past the chances that you'd heard bands with names like Miami Dragons and The Convergence Conspiracy Collective Psychoto-Electro Akrestra probably decreased exponentially as you left the Columbia, Missouri area. Thanks to this admirable and enjoyable series ("Volume 3 is forthcoming"), that's no longer the case. Every city had compilations like these the world would be a much better place.- dave heaton
**************
Reviews for vol 1....
"What ties the cuts together is what you're always looking for in a comp -- not surface similarity but spiritual kinship. Almost all of them are eccentric, individual, charged with energy and completely devoid of commercial compromise... It beats the hell out of most other regional comps...
It makes you want to roadtrip to Columbia". - Jennifer Kelly, Splendid
"It should be a downright revelation to people who think nothing could possibly be going on in the middle of Missouri". - Dave Heaton, Erasing Clouds
"St. Louis music fans have something to really get green over... a local band compilation so lovingly crafted and professionally presented that it should serve as a blueprint for anyone attempting to record the sounds of a scene." - Jordan Harper, Riverfront Times
"I just received (Volume 1) and it has made my entire year thus far. I laughed, I cried, I sacrificed animals at its alter". - Tony Stasiek, ex-KCOU, ex-Maneater, Punk Planet
**************
THE MANEATER:
Compiled Comomusic hits shelves
By Bridget Mullen, Reporter. Posted November 04, 2005.
Courtesy of Painfully Midweste
If you think your knowledge of local music is comprehensive, take a listen to the Comomusic Anthology 1990-2005 Volume 2. If the sheer volume of the compilation isn’t enough for you, pay close attention to ‘Pabst Blue Ribbon.’ Long live PBR.
Underneath the beer-drinking, dirty-dancing, class-skipping culture any respectable college town possesses lays a subculture full of hip, underground treasures unique to that particular campus.
Columbia is no different. Brewed in our own backyard, Columbia’s local bands are talented, numerous and around every corner. At Mojo’s, The Blue Note, Sapphire Lounge and other venues, gifted bands perform entertaining and inexpensive shows.
Comomusic Anthology 1990-2005 Volume 2 samples several bands from Columbia’s music scene. Released by Painfully Midwestern Records, the compilation dropped on Halloween. The variety of the 44 bands featured on the two-disc set assures this album has something for everyone. More important, the album offers a sense of familiarity with the town’s culture because many of the featured artists regularly perform at local venues.
Comomusic Anthology is for sale at Maude Vintage, Whizz Records, Slacker’s, Apop Records and the University Bookstore.
The first disc consists of mainstream pop-rock/pop-punk artists. For example, Witch’s Hat is featured in the first few tracks. This wacky, pop-rock band broke onto the scene last year. The band’s single, “Popsicles” (pronounced pop-si-kleez), depicts the story of Captain Popsicles tooling around on his boat while pissing off the other seamen. Although these guys don’t take a serious approach to creating songs, the storylines behind their lyrics are entertaining, and anyone who appreciates music will notice their indisputable talent. Think Divine Comedy with a pinch of The Flaming Lips.
Makeout!’s anthem on the album also exemplifies the talent behind the Columbia band. “Goodbye Baby and Amen” walks a fine line between the genres of pop-rock and punk. Upbeat tempos and appealing melodies shadow frontman Luke Mulderink’s relatively monotone voice.
The Shades stand out as the most diverse band on the album. Mixing pop-rock with modern bluegrass, “Ubiquitous You” is one of those songs that make you want to spin your partner ‘round and ‘round while pondering the whereabouts of Cotton-Eyed Joe.
Female vocalist Cathy Wickell belts out an exciting yet severely country tune about how girls feel about men who won’t leave them alone.
The second disc of the album focuses on heavy metal music and artists who define their own genre.
Any song named after the economical Pabst Blue Ribbon brew is destined to be better than the beer itself, so unsurprisingly, Untamed Youth introduced a unique sound on the album. The song is instrumental surf rock. Throughout the composition, the guys hoot, holler and pop open PBRs left and right. It is easy to hear how much they enjoy themselves, and the guitar solos are decent.
Digiki featuring MC Cat Genius, Sarbochron and Channing Kennedy perform by far the most innovative track on the album. To catch the sound of “Pancaked,” try to imagine what an old-school hip-hop band from the future would sound like. Outrageous, free-style lyrics (“I was on Elimidate/ never got eliminated/ ‘cause the other chicks were lame/ and I shot them with lasers”) with a strong techno influence create extremely humorous music. This song is a little “pancaked” itself. - Bridget Mullen
Read more...