Punk O Rama 10, Various Artists
Summer is here and the compilation season is well under way. Epitaph’s Punkorama series has, over time, become one of the biggest names in the world of punk compilations. This years release is the tenth in the series and as such is a bumper release with 28 songs and a free DVD with 24 videos. You certainly get a lot for your money with this package.
Now over the last decade Epitaph has changed a great deal. In its early days the label was pretty much synonymous with the skate punk genre. However, the label has changed significantly since then and this release reflects that – it’s Punkorama but not as we know it.! So here we have a release that showcases a wide range of music, from pop-punk to skate punk and from indie to hip hop.
Now with any compilation the quality of the songs is always going to vary enormously. At least here though, with 28 songs on offer, you are going to find a fair few songs that are worth repeated play, along with a few unreleased efforts you won’t have come across before. Particular mentions should go to Hot Water Music with the appropriately tilted ‘Last Goodbyes’, Bad Religion, The Unseen and the always excellent Turbonegro. The inclusion of Sage Francis will polarize opinion and the likes of The Robocop Kraus will deservedly only get the one play. There is also a good mix of videos on the DVD side – some of which will gain repeated viewings.
Punkorama 10 is well worth picking up and does represent excellent value for money. There will be obvious debate over how much of this deserves to be on a Punkorama compilation but it does show how diverse Epitaph has become. With over fifty songs for around a fiver you’d be foolish to give this a miss.
Mark
