The mission two years ago was to assemble bands associated with Sarah Records and have those acts record new songs reminiscent of that label's sound. The resulting compilation worked spectacularly well, so it was only a matter of time before Amelia Fletcher and Rob Pursey of Skep Wax compiled another volume.
Under the Bridge 2 is bigger and bolder than the first one, with more complexity and variety in style. Think of this as the indie The Empire Strikes Back, if you will. There's a wealth of superb tunes here, such that it's borderline impossible to write about all 20 of them successfully, though it's worth highlighting quite a few of the best numbers.
"Look Alive!" from Jetstream Pony bounces with promise. It's a ringing composition and it sits nicely next to the washed out squall of "Everything is Real" by Soundwire. That band is made up of members of The Sweetest Ache and this selection is dark and dank in a way like others on the set are not. Exiting that territory, the oddly-titled "In This, the House of the Solitary Bees" by Useless Users churns with abandon. It's a dense offering, one that sounds pretty far removed from the work of the members here who were in Action Painting! and Secret Shine. The latter are represented with "Captivate this Broken Love", a glorious feedback-drenched composition. The beautiful vocals spar with the guitar noise and it feels like we've uncovered some lost shoegaze gem from a few decades ago.
For all that feels familiar here, there are many risks taken. The Catenary Wires -- Amelia and Rob from Heavenly, Swansea Sound, etc. -- bring us "Alone Tonight", a down-tempo serving of what passes for an indie torch song. Think Portishead and Os Mutantes as influences, maybe. Elsewhere, The Orchids harness their legendary powers to "A Final Love Song", a tune that's shimmering, sleek, and catchy as heck. Speaking of catchy, one of the most pleasant surprises here was "Pamela" by Robert Sekula of 14 Iced Bears. The number is all Television Personalities-y, but with a Byrds-y hoook to kill for. Even As We Speak have perhaps the loveliest song here in "Beauty, You Will Break us All", an aching treasure, while Boyracer work up a familiar fury on "Unknown Frequencies", a concise bit of noise-pop.
This is a real showcase of styles. For all those who think Sarah Records was twee -- whatever the hell that ever was - or jangle-pop, there's a banquet of diversions here. Each band really sounds like it's stretching and expanding its own sound. Each act has brought their "A" game and it's really hard not to rave about each of these 20 tracks. An improvement on a compilation that seemed pretty flawless, Under the Bridge 2 is this week's must buy purchase.
Under the Bridge 2 is out this week from Skep Wax. Details via the Bandcamp link below too.
[Photos of The Orchids and The Catenary Wires by Skep Wax]