VARIOUS

There is a discussion going on, a small and subdued one, I have to admit, but a discussion nevertheless. It’s about the question, if CD-Rs can be defined as a proper medium for music, just like CDs and vinyl-records, or if they are more of an underground thing usable for demos, just like tapes used to be, and therewithal not recommended as a proper storage-space for music. My opinion on this is rather forward, I don’t give a damn. I have never put the medium the music comes in above the music itself. I don’t care, if the records I buy are on vinyl or on CD, or if somebody made me a tape, or if the promo has a proper jacket, or whatever. I want to have a station to play the music, and that is that. Because this compilation is on an CD-R. We used to call that DIY in the early days, but nowadays maybe every product has to look expensive to be sellable (yes, and then it should be sold cheaply as well). But as I said, I don’t give a good godamn, and it’s up to you anyway.

Ouzel Records is an Italien label, that deals mostly in electronic and low-fi-pop-music. They started in 1998 and in 2000 they made a big birthday-party. Now, every artist, that joined in is featured on this CD (I just call it one right now. Sue me.) That gives you 17 nice tracks between home-recorde pop with an avantgarde edge and artistical appeal on the one side, and this sort of mellow, trip-hoppy, spacey electronic-tracks that always make you want to sleep in rich, green grass underneath a big, blue sky, on the other side. Now, not everyone has green fields with open skies in their near vicinity. I live in one of the most crowded districts of vienna, so I am glad if I can see a tree. But this compilation makes me remember all the beautiful emotions you can have, while resting on a beautiful place.

The compilation provides a really good level of satisfaction, if you dig the proposed styles of music, with all participants holding at least a very high minimum level. Outstanding tracks are maybe Deleted’s “brand new dress” which reminds a little of Tom Waits circa Rain Dogs-era in its lo-fi-appeal. Milaus – I never heard of them before – build up their part “fuga (escape) idea” very dynamically, without ever compromising structure and emotion with overstated outbursts. All over the record, the artists seem to be quite restrained in their emotions, or better: seem to have no aggressions or other extreme desires to let out. They are all quite comfortable and content, resting in themselves.

Maybe this feeling comes over to the listener, grabs him softly and soothes the satisfaction into him. It’s a lot like going to the sea. You can be as stressed out as you want, full of energy and ideas, but as soon as you sit down at the beach and start to watch the waves rolling in, time and breathing changes. Your heartbeat paralells with the beat of the ocean and you mellow out. I can never get enough of that.