V/A – Concert For A Cause: A Cancer Benefit Compilation / 2005 Concert For A Cause / http://www.concertforacause.net / [email protected] / Reviewed 01 August 2005
I think the most interesting thing about this compilation CD is not that Eric, the disc’s compiler is only seventeen or so, or even that ey started this when ey was fifteen, but rather that Montana had fourteen different bands that sound this good. The disc does have some minor problems, specifically that it tails off towards the end of its run, but there are some amazing tracks between the beginning and end. Such is the case with quite possibly the disc’s best, most hidden secret: Cute Is What We Aim For’s “Teasing To Please”.
Emo in the Midtown sense, the track has tremendous replay value, owing much to intelligent arrangement and a drug-like addictive quality to the track’s multi-part harmony, which provide the track’s perfect ending. In fact, Cute Is What We Aim For’s track is the perfect panacea to the disc’s lowest point, ENDever’s “Alter”.”Alter” is a track that is tremendously based in the Staind/Korn brand of vocals, and really demolishes any idea of momentum that this disc may have had in the past, a fact bolstered by the mass of similar songs, of which ENDever is the largest derivation. Other high points on the disc pretty much are done in toto by those non-famous bands, which seems interesting as the most copies of the disc will be picked up by those individuals that wish to hear the songs by The Forecast, Desert City Soundtrack, or Red Animal War. One of these tracks is Oblio Joes’ “Don’t Believe”, which is surprisingly fresh considering the track maintains a “Wish”-era Cure-like lightness to their vocals even as the rest of the track stays in the present. The following tracks, Bleed The Dream’s “Broken Wings” uses the melodramatic musings of the lead singer, coupled with emotive guitar lines, to make a track that will emotionally affect anyone who is lucky enough to be listening.
The quality of some of the singles on this disc, especially those by bands that have not hit the big time as of yet, will make this album a must buy even if the individuals usually do not buy a CD. And remember, the money goes for a good cause so an individual can even feel better when they are listening to current classics as are collected onto the CD. Make sure to pick this album up and keep an ear to the ground, as CFAC will release more of these should there be a strong market.
Top Tracks: Cute Is What We Aim For “Teasing To Please”, Bleed The Dream’s “Broken Wings”
Rating: 6.3/10