Various Artists – …Dragging The Lake Vol. 3

Every couple of years SideOneDummy Records teams up with Atticus to release an always pleasing compilation in their Dragging The Lake series. This is their third in their series and like previously this one features a wide selection of both big named and small named bands. Which will, hopefully, get a few fans to pick it up for the new Blink182 song (Not Now which was only released on the UK version of the band’s latest effort) and introduce them to some bands they may not have known about otherwise. Of course, this varied collection of bands don’t stick to one genre, but instead hopes from the pop-punk song to the punk song to an acoustic one to some emo and even some hardcore. This is an interesting mixture of styles that surprisingly works out well for the most part, only once or twice do you really get startled.

Like all good compilations should do, Dragging The Lake Vol. 3 starts off with a bang and ends with one too. They kick it off with This Is The Part by Gratitude, a band that will soon become one of the prominent rock bands around, and follow that up with tracks from pop-punk heavyweights Blink182 and emo trend setters Taking Back Sunday before jumping into the always entertaining Motion City Soundtrack. They end the album with the most surprising and interesting song on the album, When The Night Feels My Song by Bedouin Soundclash. This spectacular reggae anthem throws you off guard and forces you to replay it. Other standout tracks would be songs like Until Morale Improves, The Beatings Will Continue by Murder by Death along with Bike Riders by Lucero, Smile You’ve Won byLydia and Living In America (Andy Wallace Mix) by The Sounds. Those more then make up for the weak songs by Piebald (Part Of Your Body Is Made Out Of Rock) and The Bled (Red Wedding).

Other songs on it that didn’t really surprise me but still made for a nice addition were from the likes of Rise Against (Dancing For Rain), Street Dogs (In Defense Of Dorchester), MXPX (Grey Skies Turn Blue) and Fall Out Boy with their acoustic rendering of Grand Theft Autumn/Where Is Your Boy.

Overall, Atticus was once again able to please me with their third installment in their Dragging The Lake series. There are, like all compilations, a few weak songs, but there are more tracks that I enjoy then I dislike.