Lobster Records Jumps The Shark, Various Artists
Lobster Records is one of my favourite labels and is one of the imprints I admire and are attempting to base Punktastic Recordings around. They're still a small label, but have an eye for talent which makes their roster as strong as any indie around. With bands like Over It, Staring Back and Park, only a fool would disagree that they don't know a good tune when they hear one. 'Jumps the Shark' is the label's latest sampler and showcases why I rate the label so damn highly. They mix the older bands (Park etc) with some of their newer bands, like Lorene Drive and Nathaniel's Endeavours and come up trumps. For a free sampler, distributed with orders from their website and in American magazines, this is an excellent record.
I won't go through every song, but highlights are two Over It tracks from 'Silverstrand', two Park songs that sound as amazing as always, a new track from the underated Days Like These and Staring Back are always worth a listen, so there's no skipping 'Six Eyes Too far Away'. What makes this CD stand out is it shows the strength and diversity of Lobster's roster - while all the bands share a passion for melody and singalong hooks, Days Like These are far more rock-based than the pedal-on-the-metal stylings of Staring Back, or the heart-on-sleeve efforts from Park. In short, start jumping sharks because you need this record in your collection.
www.lobsterrecords.com
Paul
