Fold Compilation CD

This two-CD, 29-track 2003 release documents acts that have passed through the Los Angeles club the Fold, though not every one was Los Angeles-based. Too, these were not recorded in the Fold itself. They're tracks licensed specifically for this compilation, some of them previously unreleased, but most of them available elsewhere as well, though some of them were released in relatively hard to find spots, on import B-sides and the like. There's nothing specific linking these artists except their appearances at the Fold, though virtually all of them have an indie rock guitar orientation. Although a few of them had some recognition outside of L.A. by the time of this release, like Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Gwendolyn, and the Warlocks, most of the acts had a pretty low international profile (if they had one at all). Consequently, it's like many indie rock compilations in that it's too diverse to detail fully in a single-paragraph review, and will probably only be of value to future generations if one or more of the obscure artists eventually become a lot more famous. As such comps go, however, it's a little above average, presenting varying competent approaches by early-21st century indie rockers and alternative singer/songwriters, though few of the individual tracks are too noteworthy. Some of the tracks more apt to make you look up from what you're doing include Dengue Fever's "New Year's Eve," which has an authentic touch of Asian bubblegum courtesy of their Cambodian lead singer, Chhom Nimol; Devendra Banhart's creepy "Cada Casa Que Crece," which sounds like a lo-fi folk field recording; the updated '50s rock ballad sound of Bedroom Walls' "Do the Buildings & Cops Make You Smile?"; the blissed-out pop-psych of Alaska!'s "In My Time"; and the Polyphonic Spree's quite late-'60s Beatles-ish "It's the Sun." It also includes bonus MPEG videos of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club (playing live) and Midnight Movies. ~ Richie Unterberger

2 CD compilation featuring Silversun Pickups demo of "Rusted Wheel", rare Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, ... And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead, plus music from L.A.'s Silverlake district. Includes 2001 video footage of BRMC live at The Fold in Silverlake Lounge. Just west of downtown Los Angeles, the Silverlake district is harboring one of the nation's most exciting independent music scenes. This double enhanced CD features mostly studio performances of artists from The Fold, a Silverlake club. Silversun Pickups are named after the Silversun Liquor Store at the corner of Sunset and Silverlake Blvds, just across the street from the Silverlake Lounge. Get it?Disc 1 features a rare demo of "Rusted Wheel" by Silversun Pickups, and a rare BRMC track "Loaded Gun". This CD follows this garage/psychedelic vibe with tracks by local bands The Warlocks, Midnight Movies, Metric, The 88, Bedroom Walls, and Earlimart. Live material from the Silverlake Lounge includes an exclusive track by The Black Heart Procession and .mpeg video footage of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club live at the Silverlake Lounge. Disc 1 also features the legendary touring performers to have played at The Fold. The torrential ... And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead perform a live radio version of "Baudelaire" (previously released only as an import b-side). The Texas trio Lift To Experience, can be heard doing a radio performance of their epic "Falling From Cloud 9", previously released as a b-side in the UK. Also included are licensed tracks by Alaska! (the current band behind Lou Barlow's The Folk Implosion) and indie darlings The Polyphonic Spree. Disc 2 softens the mix, revealing the more eclectic side of the Silverlake scene. Local troubadour Patrick Park provides an alternate track from his debut release on Hollywood Records. Experimental diva, Eleni Mandell, delivers an exclusive track, "After You'd Gone" There's a dash of Cambodian pop from Silverlake locals Dengue Fever, an entirely foreign sonic landscape from Devendra Banh