The Sigla Blog

Red Bridge Compilation
Various (Risc Records) ***

The opening song on a compilation can often be the benchmark against which all the other tracks are measured. Given the range of styles and tempos on parade here, it wouldn’t be fair to do so, but Betamax Format’s ‘Nothing With A Face Is Safe’ is an inspired opener. A simple hyprid of electro synths and biscuit-tin drums makes this a classic in the making. Steve Fanagan’s beautiful Northstation project contribute one of the highlights, ‘Bear Cub’, a perfect oriental soundtrack. Another highlight is Miriam Ingram’s ‘Cartoon Stair’, an electronic lullaby of hushed harmonies. It’s one of the few vocal tracks on this largely instrumental compilation as is Medea’s brooding ‘Beside Me. Amoebazoid sets chunky beats against a backdrop of swirling string samples. The Last Sound’s hypnotic ‘I Can See Your Summer’ echoes with spacey rhythms and is a suitable introduction to the percussive lilt of ‘Abductee’ by FancyGoods. You have to love the cheeky pure pop offering of ‘Milkshake’ by E+S=B, a song that makes you want to dance (up til now, most of these tracks just make you think).

The low-fi electronic musings on here are the most engaging while you might have to work a bit harder with some of the buzz saw bleeps of some of the songs towards the end. That said, it’s quite a breath of fresh air to get an Irish compilation that looks and (mostly) sounds as good as this one. The design is so original, and from the paper, inserts and fonts, it’s really nicely put together. We can only assume the same folk are responsible for the cover of Betamax Format’s new ‘xxx robot/raus! Raus! single on lovely 70 gram vinyl. A pulsing, pensive roadmap of some of Ireland’s finest independent music.

Info: Risc Records