Various Acts - 'Future Vintage' (Warner)
4/5
By: Thomas Hannan
It's difficult to know where to place this one. Recently we've been blessed with a generous selection of compilations that concisely sum up the music of today, the likes of 'Yes New York' and output from Artrocker and Sonic Mook Experiment to name but a few. Though 'Future Vintage' does nothing of the sort, content to reminisce about the past than define the present.
It claims to be a collection of what will in times to come be heralded as classics, the confusing little oddities none of us quite understood the first time round neatly compiled to form the only record you'll need to guide you through the coming years. Needless to say, it isn't - many of the acts are just far too small and obscure to be classed as 'classics' in the usual sense. It's much more a self-congratulatory record, Warner patting themselves on the back for managing to play parent to so much astounding talent.
So, the facts: 'Future Vintage' has absolutely no bad tracks and a good number of absolutely stunning ones. In terms of the acts featured, variety is its main strength. The songs picked are perhaps not the individual bands' most daring or signature efforts, but the theme of oddball rock means that, strangely, Ben Kweller can sit happily on the same CD as Mike Patton after all. It also serves as a fantastic reminder about bands you'd be forgiven for having forgotten, such as Fountains of Wayne ('Radiation Vibe' confirms that yes, they were fantastic after all) or the luscious melodies of The Webb Brothers. You'll also be pleasantly reminded of the formation stages of acts who've gone on to greater things, such as the Flaming Lips, who in fact managed to sound just as beautifully bizarre as they do today even when singing songs as downright silly as 'She Don't Use Jelly'.
Where 'Future Vintage' gets really good is on its most leftfield moments. The first of these arrives with the astonishing flamenco oompah-metal of Mr Bungle's fantastic 'Air Conditioned Nightmare', continuing through the equally Patton dictated 'RV' by Faith No More, which lets Michael smoothly croon over the world's most unlikely waltz. The Melvins too contribute a highlight with the puzzling inclusion of 'Black Bock'; where listening to The Melvins is usually akin to funnelling wallpaper paste into your ears, Warner have chosen to treat us to their whistling, 'la la la'-singing, entirely pleasant side. The first few seconds of cheerful riffs might make you wonder where they're hiding the real King Buzzo et al, but then the lyrics start. 'I cut the throat of the billy goat and let it bleed' - ah, there they are.
It's these unexpected twists that provide the album its hardened edge. There are, however, times when it suffers from a roster that could have done with a touch more selectivity, the accommodation of both Summercamp and The Lemonheads only serving to make the former seem as if they're imitating the latter. Also, for an album that somewhat foolishly attempts to be the only record anyone should ever need to purchase, some bands just miss the grade. Although the likes of Zita Swoon and Spacehog both contribute admirable efforts, only in their most drunken states would they try and declare to be the 'Future Vintage' this release claims them to be - but don't hold that against them.
Much as Warner may think it should be the case, these songs don't want to be archetypal, monumental modern-standards, and the thought of them ending up that way is somewhat disconcerting. Call it snobbery or musical elitism, but please, let us keep our small weird bands to ourselves. As this compilation proves, we're always the ones who'll love them the most anyway.
Artists in this article: Various Acts
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