V/A – Ypsisongs / 2006 Cerberus / 16 Tracks / http://www.cerberusreocrds.com / Reviewed 29 December 2006

All of these songs are about Ypsilanti, which is probably one of the most random things to have an album concerning. While not all of the tracks contain the town in the title, the songs definitely have some sort of tie to the city. While the packaging for the disc is a folded bit of cardboard, the production of the opening track by Dave Lawson is solid enough to be on the next They Might Be Giants song. While the production value of the tracks changes depending on which track is playing, there is nothing in the way of tracks on this compilation that has be skipped over.

There are not diamonds in the rough on “Ypsisongs”, but each grain of sand has a diamond-like luster to it. The track by Annie Palmer is haunting while maintaining a current style; there is something that makes individuals stick with the disc for however long is needed. However, the best track on this album may just be Emily Jane Powers’ “Thief”. This track has all the allure of the alternative rock from the earliest days of the 1990s, but with a directness that will keep individuals in the current period interested. The first track that does not completely allure listeners into the disc has to be Vailcode’s” View From An Upstairs Window”. During this track, there is an alternative country style but the anemic tempo present on this track will not keep individuals listening in. Fred Thomas’s “Susceptible To Ghosts” gets some energy restored to the disc, but there is still a change from the beginning of the disc to this section of the album.

Ian Loy Saylor has another track that does not invigorate listeners in eir “Ian Saylor’s Dream” track on this album. The track meanders through its entire runtime without focusing in on a specific style or approach. While the first segment of the disc is amazing, the second and subsequent tracks maintain a solid sound but do not capture the minds and hearts of listeners quite as much as before. There are songs that are still interesting, such as Modernlull’s “John Norman Collins”, but these are a little more spaced out than on the earlier part of the disc.

Top Tracks: Modernlull / John Norman Collins , Annie Palmer / Ypsilanti Won’t You Let Me

Rating: 6.3/10

[JMcQ]