Punk Academy Volume 1, Various Artists
The British punk scene as we all know is in fairly buoyant mood at the moment. Bands are breaking through the midst left right and centre, with such luminaries as Funeral for a Friend making all the right moves to break the elusive American market and up for MTV awards, it seems the right time to showcase some of the smaller fish in a very big pond. ‘You and Whose Army’ have noticed the trend and complemented it by constructing a compilation comprising of the finest in young Brit (and a bunch of Italians…) talent, which easily goes some way to showing up our American counterparts with some superb tracks. Punktastic favourites such as Fallout 40, Hitechjet, Route 215 and Killerest Expression all donate as they are squeezed in amongst twenty other tracks.
As with any compilation though, it isn’t all peaches and cream, and if you had taken any interest in the scene in the last year, you are probably going to heard a few of the tracks on here. But never the less it is a very tidy set of tracks, and begins well with the soothing sounds of Shuriken getting it all off to a bouncy upbeat start while Fallout 40 up the noise levels with solid stuff in the form of ‘The Indestructible’. You may not of thought it, but this is about the only form of screaming you hear on the album, contrary to pop culture in the scene at the moment. Skirtbox and Douglas chip in with ‘Speared Love’ and ‘Trilby’ respectively, both featuring some superb melodic interchanges which give some much needed pace to the big picture.
Back to those Punktastic fav's with Route 215, Killerest Expression and Hitechjet all standing out above the crowd, while Right Turn Clyde particularly impress me with chugging guitars over some impressive vocals. Disappointments include a demo from ‘This Thing of Ours’ which fails to ever ignite any interest while the ‘Osterman Weekend’ bring it all to a lacklustre end. Italian mob ‘Marsh Mallows’ drown there sound with a distinctly Mediterranean feel, and call it personal preference but foreign lyrics never go down well with me…
Otherwise the rest of the tracks make up the numbers, without standing out too much. This is a classy compilation though and the perfect anecdote for your punk blues, and with the showcase completed you’re left with a lovely set of melodies ringing in your eardrums, having been able to appreciate arguably the finest in young talent. At the princely sum of £5.00 you’re helping an indie label, and are able to spread the word on some criminally under-rated bands as well, so what are you waiting for?
www.yawarecords.com
Jay
