If anyone has the right to put together a collection that serves as a tribute to the sound and spirit of the legendary indie pop label
Sarah Records
, it's
Skep Wax
, which is run by
Amelia Fletcher
and
Rob Pursey
, both of whom were in
Heavenly
.
Under the Bridge
celebrates
Sarah
by gathering up bands from their heyday who are still recording and new groups from artists who recorded for the label. It's not meant to be nostalgia by any means; it's pop of the moment made by musicians who aren't guided by anything other than the need to make great pop songs.
The classic contingent is led by
the Orchids
St Christopher
, two bands who were at the forefront of expanding the label's sound in the early days.
The Orchids
made tiny symphonies of heartbreak that could be two-minute acoustic singalongs or seven-minute excursions into sound. Their contribution here, "I Don't Mean to Stare," feels like a typical "hey, we need a song for a comp" kind of thing, until the laid-back charm kicks in and the loping, repetitive vocal melody lodges deeply in the brain.
seem to have discovered the joys of caustic noise, and their song "Stornaway" buries typically yearning vocals under bracing sheets of raw guitar noise. Others fare just as well at conjuring up the past while vaulting right into today.
Secret Shine
remind the current crop of shoegazers how it's done on "Lost in the Middle,"
the Wake
deliver a typically frosty serving of jangle-meets-synth pop on "Stockport,"
Boyracer
turn in a song that fuses chaotic noise with punk precision (as usual) on the rousing "Larkin," and
Even as We Speak
somehow manage to sound younger than they did in the early '90s on the sprightly noise pop gem "Begins Goodbye."
Impressive stuff, but equally so are the musicians who kept at it and formed new projects.
Beth Arzy
of
Aberdeen
strikes gold twice, once with the shimmering dream pop of
the Luxembourg Signal
's "Travel Through Midnight" and again with
Jetstream Pony
's "Strood McD F.C." One of the Meadows brothers of
the Sugargliders
returns in the queasily glammy
Leaf Mosaic
,
's
Peter Momtchiloff
shows that his trademark guitar style has aged well on
Tufthunter
's breezy French pop, and
Soundwire
, fronted by
Simon Court
the Sweetest Ache
, provide one of the album's highlights with the darkly distorted, not very
-sounding "Another Sun." One song that does feel like a classic
single is the contribution by
Ameila
Rob
's band
the Catenary Wires
. "Wall of Sound" jangles and bops like a
song, only with more of the subtle orchestration the band have slowly added to their sound. More than a tribute,
completely captures what made
so great. It's just bands playing their hearts out on songs that zing the heartstrings, brighten the darkness, and come across like perfect alternate-world radio hits. An impeccable blend of past and present, this is essential listening for indie pop lovers of any age. ~ Tim Sendra