Review of Various Artists's CD "Dance To The Radio: What We All Want"

Various Artists: Dance To The Radio: What We All Want

If you don't live, eat and breath it, the Leeds music landscape has almost been unfathomably applauded for the bands it produces and the nights that exist within its figurative walls in recent years. One look at Dance To The Radio: What We All Want is the only shiny, circular audible document you need to prove to all your friends in LMDC (Less Musically Developed Cities, geography fans will get that) that everything is indeed brilliant in Leeds.

The Whiskas (of ¡Forward, Russia! day job fame) inspired, second instalment of Dance To The Radio is that rarest of beasts - a compilation with little or no weak points/filler whatsoever. Urgent, catchy, eclectic and an almost essential compendium of the names you'll know doubt see time and time again during 2006 and beyond. The kind of peep-hole into the future that you'll regret missing out on when at least a handful of these bands are sure to have progressed to pastures new throughout the UK sooner rather than later.

Not only does it provide this nifty service, DTTR 2 never loses the feeling that it really is a lovingly crafted mixtape and that the boys and girls of Dance To The Radio really, really like these bands and it's not just about shifting units or 'predicting' the next big things for bragging rights. To highlight some of the most notable tunes, one of Leeds' greatest of great white hopes - Shut Your Eyes And You'll Burst Into Flames - steal the show early on with a re-vamped 'Amputee Smile', just about managing to encompass their At The Drive-In on uppers live show into just over 3 minutes. The respective Kubichek! and Komakino bandwagons roll on in suitably fine style.

Meanwhile, O Fracas travel a little too close to Arctic Monkeys territory that their lawyers should allow them to on 'John Roland Told Us' but still sounding pikey-tastic. Samsa and This Et Al achieve greatness in the field of 'serious' rock while Tera:Tora and Voltage Union come up trumps in the indie rock blueprint genre stakes. Elsewhere honourable nods are awarded to token Leeds hip-hop master Yes Boss, impossible Sunday morning sound trackers WhoresWhoresWhores and finally iLiKETRAiNS who, not exactly Disney sound trackers at the best of times, proceed to grime through the most depressing song of all time.

Success all around then, the backbone of the release is still very much buried in the heart of Yorkshire and anyone who dares to predict the downfall of the Leeds, at least this year, should be unanimously heckled and told to stand in the corner. Dance To The Radio have provided a superb service in getting all these bands on one disc and everyone will benefit from this release. DTTR's reputation as prospective captains at the helm of the Leeds ship will be raised, any bands minus at least singles deals are sure to be picked up and as for us, well you can work that one out for yourself. Three cheers for Dance To The Radio.

• www.forwardrussia.com
• www.myspace.com/shutyoureyesandyoullburstintoflames
• www.kubichek.co.uk
• www.komakino.tk
• www.myspace.com/ofracas
• www.samsa.co.uk
• www.thisetal.com
• www.voltageunion.com
• www.myspace.com/yesboss1
• www.whoreswhoreswhores.tk
• www.iliketrains.co.uk
• www.dancetotheradio.com

Find related articles: geography fans, leeds music, john roland, dance to the radio, nifty service.