Various Artists
Allt ljus på oss!
Mister Suede Records/Plugged Records
The only thing worse than listening to a comp of unsigned bands is being the poor schlub whose job it is to sort through the countless no-name acts to decide who makes the cut. Even the mere suggestion makes me shudder -- for all the talk about the increasingly level playing field, let it be know that just because you can make a record, doesn't mean you should. Anyhow, as one would probably expect, this AllEars.se sampler is a mixed bag with near-nil flow and very little replay value. The majority of the acts aim squarely for the middle and don't disappoint in that regard, but unless you're in one of these bands or related to someone who is, who cares? How much mediocrity can you handle? As for the exceptions, let's run them down: Icke Lika Med stands out by injecting a bit of progg into their whitebread rock and Mourning Tears pulls off a competent goth/classical/martial neo-folk instrumental. Glass, the only band here that I've actually heard before, submits a solid midtempo power-pop track and are followed by The Lonesome Whistle Boys, a band who display a firm grasp of the valued "less is more" concept with a track that comes in just under 1:40. That's an admirable decision, especially since it actually makes me curious to hear more. Finally, CCT-Band deserves a mention as well for their confident swing-time jazz -- par for the course, yet aberrant when it comes to this collection. As for everyone else, well... they aren't awful. It's best I leave it at that.
- Avi Roig
