Responsible for a roster which contains the likes of The Pigeon Detectives and ЎForward, Russia!, there is no doubt that the mighty Dance To The Radio label has played a major part in the recent explosion of music coming out of Leeds. Not content with recent success it's a welcome relief to find DTTR are still committed to unearthing local talent, and they do just that with the Leeds based imprints fourth compilation Out Of The Woods And Trees.
Though mostly consisting of promising local acts, this twenty track feast also features a few established bands in the form of Australian heavyweights The Howling Bells and Leeds' very own The Pigeon Detectives and ЎForward, Russia!. The diverse selection of songs vary from cutting-edge indie and guitar based pop anthems, to earthly folk and futuristic electronic-tinged work ensuring that there is something for almost everybody here.
If anybody was beginning to worry about the future of British music then London based artist Bobby Cook offers more than a glimmer of hope with the epic, magical, dreamy and just downright stunning 'Homesick'. The Howling Bells leave their mark with a stunningly dark PJ Harvey influenced number in 'This City's Burning' and Prego 's 'The Longest Calm' is as equal in high-intensity as it is in immediacy. Leeds favourites ЎForward, Russia!
whisk up an incredible indie stormer with 'Don't Be A Doctor' whilst the Wakefield based Napoleon IIIrd 's quite astounding genre breaking re-work of Sky Larkin 's 'Keepsakes' would leave the likes of Bjork raging with jealousy. With the compilation coming to near close Vessels conjure up a beautifully crafted soundscape with 'Happy Accident' before leaving Held By Hands to draw the curtain with the heart-warming 'Trading on Past Treasures'. With the amount of varied quality on display spanning across twenty tracks you might be surprised to find that Out Of The Woods And Trees is available for a measly Ј3.
99 at HMV. Brushing the giveaway price firmly to one side, I can safely assure any serious music lover that you will be hard pushed to find a stronger compilation CD this year. An essential purchase.
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