Various Artists - God Is In The CD (God Is In The TV)
3/5
By: Gareth Roberts
This compilation has been put together by webzine God Is In The TV, and like all compilations I approach it with a great amount of trepidation (on account of most compilations being shite, you see). To its credit however, this has its moments.
Penny Broadhurst gets things going with 'Rhythm Rebel', coming across like a posh Lady Sovereign. As such the song raises a smile, but she's pretty much impossible to take seriously - in fact I can't help but feel like she's a contestant on that TV show 'Faking It'. Staying on the telly theme, The Swear's 'Disco Bitch' is a ramshackle pop song which neither excites or bores, it's just there (like that show 'Neighbours').
Villette add a bit of excitement, providing a lovely bass line leading into a... oh wait, actually a fairly lacklustre song. After the classy intro, I was expecting a lot better (like that TV show 'Lost'). Donde Stars elsewhere do their best impression of Suede crossed with the Delays. In fact the Brett Anderson influence is so apparent they're probably good enough to appear on that TV show 'Stars in their Eyes'. And here, we stop with the TV references.
The Sailplanes lift my mood considerably, sounding like they don't know what they're doing but they just have to do it, they sound curiously how I imagine the Duke Spirit would if they suddenly forgot how to play their instruments, but all the better for it. The Shake manage to keep my good mood intact with a lovely bluesy-rocky number that reminds of The Bellrays, whereas Empty Vessels' 'Sex Disco' turns out to be not quite as loud and crazy as the title suggests, less a sex disco, more a kind of empty pub, but strangely enthralling nonetheless.
Rose Kemp delights as usual with 'Golden Veins', on the face of it a relatively straight forward quiet-loud rocky number, but one given a nice edge through Kemp's talent of managing to create proverbial nooks and crannies throughout, as such it turns out to be a highlight. Next up Bon Jovi have taken on a new singer and are performing under the pseudonym of Gemma Ray Ritual (this is of course a not very funny joke). 'Terrible Times' is actually very good, soon shaking off any early comparisons with a tune full of ideas which guarantees it too joins the 'highlights' group. Salvo wrap things up with 'Customs', the heaviest track on the record and an ode to infuriating airport staff.
So, that's it, another tricky compilation assessed. Like all releases of this ilk, it contains its hits and its misses, and to be fair, there's more of God in this CD than there is the devil at least.
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