Various
Artists
50 Minutes
This
release uses two worn ideas that frequently appear with compilation
albums - that of the ‘charitable cause’ and that of
the ‘minute long track’, by various artists. However,
few have done so with as much style, variety and musical integrity
as Exercise 1 have with 50 Minutes.
It does ‘exactly what it says on the tin’ offering
fifty snippets of sound from some of the most vibrant acts from
a bubbling British underground, taking in acts from a bevy of
hot and exciting labels including Truck, Transgressive, Drowned
In Sound and Fierce Panda. If its only selling point was to act
as a newbie’s sampler to what is happening in British music
right now then it would be a top release, but it has so much more
to offer.
Amazingly, the album is widely eclectic leaving very few musical
stones unturned, but still keeps the listener focused through
styles not usually in their field of interest. Produced as a seemingly
singular audio-file the tracks flow seamlessly into each one another
and each new idea is thrown in before any possible boredom of
the last has chance to manifest itself.
Out of fifty tracks there are few totally dull moments, although
some artists fulfil the role of condensing their ideas into shortened
tracks better than others - for example Piney Gir’s ‘Sugar’
is a miniature, sleazy, electro-pop masterpiece.
High-octane moments come in the guise of Headland’s electro-punk
explosion and the excellent Plans and Apologies’ clattering,
slanted, folk-fused rock, whilst an air of beauty is offered by
Amycambe’s swaying, piano-pop, the always amazing Emmy the
Great and Rachel Lipson’s anti-folk musings.
Some wonderfully eccentric aural delights poke through the mass
of ideas reasserting the album’s total attention grabber
status. The Bobby McGee’s twee, indie-pop tale of heart-ache
and revenge and Ladyfuzz’s scuzzy violation of French pop
stand out like a sore thumb - but in a good way.
All in all there is some much to recommend 50 Minutes,
the best thing to do is to purchase it.
You’ll also get the sense of enormous well-being from the
fact that your mullah will be going to care for the victims of
torture - this fact alone deserves five shining stars.
by Chris Marks
