This sampler for the intriguing and impressively varied Xtra Mile Recordings both showcases the artists currently signed to their roster and demonstrates the range thereon. While few people will legitimately be able to claim to love every track (with the possible exception of the label boss / A&R rep., I suppose), at a very reasonable £2.49 download price you’ll certainly get your moneys worth. For me, the highlights - and lowlights – are very clear cut. Ex-Million Dead singer-turned-folk-pop-genius Frank Turner opens proceedings with the raucous “Sons Of Liberty”, which is shortly followed by the impressive Xcerts’ “I See Things Differently”. The next track, Crazy Arm’s “Broken By The Wheel” is the compilations’ highlight, a magnificently boisterous track from a unique and brilliant band. Later on tracks with a very obvious appeal - to me at least - are thinner on the ground; contributions from Fighting Fiction and Jaako & Jay don’t leave much of an impression, and Beans On Toast’s “I Fancy Laura Marling” can only really be described as “fucking shit”. Fortunately ex-Far singer Jonah Matranga is on hand to reward those with the patience to make it to the end of the album. A mixed bag, but the good tracks outweigh the bad and you can’t complain at that price.
xtramilerecordings.com
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