"Buy Indie Music Compilation Vol. 1", Various Artists,
Black Dog
Promotions, 2004

The songs in this compilation cover a lot of ground, so I will take them one by one:

"Unseen Forces" by Timothy Dark is an in-your-face hip hop number about "the demon in you" with a dark sound along with Dark's vocals.

"Is It a Sin" by the Shade is a mid tempo Country ballad that mixes electric and acoustic guitars.

"Wrap Me In Your Love" by Emmett North, Jr. is a hip hop number that begins with just North's voice and percussion before going into pop romance mode. It has interesting beats, but is too long at seven and a half minutes.

"Always the Bridesmaid" by Ariel Aparico is a dramatic rock ballad. Aparico sings in a low voice, goes to a high range, and then recites some of the lyrics. So offbeat, it makes you want to hear more of this guy.

"Playaz's Anthem" by Heat is called R&B on the CD, but it sounds more like hip-hop with a romantic theme. Interesting in that it mixes African-American and Latin voices.

'Crutch' by Informer is a hard rock song that sounds typical of the genre.

'Speak So Loud' by 4th Plane Jaiant is called modern rock. Not ahead of its time, but is sounds just  different enough to be interesting, combining a heavy beat with excellent vocals and an unusual melody.

"Soft" by Auratrona sounds hard instead of soft. Otherwise, not much there.

"I Am the One" by Shadow Pointe is more melodc rock, with a prog sound that is a bit mysterious. This song makes you want to hear more of them.

"Laugh (It's A Joke)' by Michael Hirsch shows that Michael can't sing that well when he is strumming an electric guitar with minimal backup. I agree with the title.

"The Future of People Anonymous" by Orsontrain has the singer repeating "whitewash and poppycock" or something like that. I guess this song is meaningful since it is called alternative rock.

"Fight the Good Fight" by 23 Red does just that in this ready for action cut.

"Waking Up" by Glister features a girrl singer in a pop/rock song that, well, wakes you up. Because it's good.
 
"Pale Yellow Divine" by Alex Machine is anything but pale. The lead singer sounds mean and spits out "no one's gonna notice/no one's gonna care." Maybe not, but this cut rocks in an industrial way.

"Elevate" by Purge has a lead singer even meaner than the one on the last cut. I can't understand what he is singing, but he sure is pissed off. I'm afraid to ask. It's metal the way it should be.

This CD is a good introduction to a lot of artists, although you will probably pick and choose certain songs to just sit down and listen to it.
 
- Dave Howell

web site at http://www.buyindiemusic.com