Epitaph Records - Unsound, Various Artists
Just in the value for money stakes, 'Unsound' is the release of the year, hands down. Featuring 19 songs and a 10 track DVD, Epitaph has re-packaged up its Punk-O-Rama compilation series and is re-writing the rulebook on label samplers. With the internet making mixed tapes and old-skool comps outdated, labels have to find a new way to get people to listen to their bands - and packaging a DVD up with their latest release is an excellent way to do it. And what 'Unsound' does so well is package up such an amazing variation of sights and sounds - from the gothic look of From First To Last through to the hip hop of Sage Francis - the old cliche really does count here; there is something for everyone.
While Epitaph's roster has changed significantly since the mid-90s and the EpiFat skate-punk revolution, there are still some quality acts here. Motion City Soundtrack and Matchbook Romance are excellent, while The Matches' 'Little Maggots' is arguably the best song from a poor new record. Bad Religion, Pennywise and Bouncing Souls do it for the old-skool punks, while The Draft and Vanna are two of the label's newest artists, yet stick to Epitaph's tried and tested musical formula. Of course the introduction of rap and hip hop to the label will always be controversial, but the likes of Dangerdoom and Sage Francis are perfectly palatable even to someone who doesn't usually like that brand of music.
And while most comps stop there, 'Unsound' continues with a DVD bursting with promos from Some Girls, The Matches, From First To Last and Bad Religion among others. And while you may have seen some of these on your TV in the past 12 months, all of them are worth at least one watch. I'm a big fan of label compilations as they got me into so many bands back in the mid-90s. Epitaph's latest series gives the sampler a 21st century twist - hopefully it will prolong the life of something I believe is vitally important to the punk 'community'.
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