Thursday, 10 January 2013

By Hook Or By Crook

By Hook Or By Crook
Various Artists
Sturdy Records


Sturdy Records are an independent record label from Leeds, and with their first ever compilation they have hit gold.

The compilation mixes big names such as Post War Glamour Girls and This Many Boyfriends with old and new from around Leeds. It is unbound by genre, making the most of a variety of wonderful bands from the area.

The Wind-up Birds post-punk track Two Ambulance Day is built around its catchy chorus and slow spoken verses, causing it to get stuck in your head for days. They’re addictive and easy to love within the first listen, creating one of the standout tracks of this compilation.

With a mysterious spoken word delivery over simplistic synth sounds, Racket Ball’s When They Walked In (Live) is one of the most unusual tracks. It seems to make no sense at first, before making use of it’s unique delivery to stand out and push boundaries that should encourage a cult following worthy of the band‘s music.

Loqui were the band that started it all off for Sturdy Records and this track, We Drown on Dry Land, shows why. Their lyrics are instantly relatable and with a genre that fits nowhere else they are perfect on this compilation of no restrictions.

Post War Glamour Girls show their delicate side off on Ghost In The Tape Recorder. It’s stripped down letting James’ vocals shine and proving themselves worthy of their slots at Reading and Leeds this summer. I along with many will be surprised if it’s a one off, especially after writing songs as good as this.

This compilation holds together genres and sounds of all kinds showing that Sturdy Records may not be big, but they definitely know what they’re doing. It’s clear that many bright things will be coming from this label, with so many bands of such a high calibre associated with them.

Kieran Lacy

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