Various Artists – {un}known Vol. 2

It’s weird, normally record labels wait a little while before releasing a follow up in new compilation series, especially newer labels. They want to see what the fans reactions are, see if it sells and all that fancy jazz. So it’s fair to say that I was surprised to see that Double Blind Music were coming out with yet another compilation in their {un}known compilation series so soon, particulary since Vol. 1 only came out a few months agao. But the label is back at it, and with their third release (their second being 32 Leaves‘ Welcome To The Fall) they have {un}known Volume II and it follows in the direct footsteps that Vol. I laid originally made.

Just like its predecessor, {un}known Vol. II features a collection of fourteen tracks (plus a music video for Seemless‘ Lay My Burden Down), of modern rock, emo, metal and post hardcore from most completly unkown bands and others with a foot or two in the door. While some people will pick it up to hear the are tracks from Code Seven (Suggestive Humans), Scatter The Ashes (From The Tops Of Trees) or the acoustic song from Further Seems Forever (Light Up Ahead), they will all be pleasently surprised when they hear some unreleased songs from bands like Ringer, Opiate For The Masses, Classic Case and my favorite, Fair To Midland.

One thing that a lot of compilations suffer from is the flow, and luckily {un}known Vol. II sidesteps that problem. While the songs all have their own seperate feel to them, they still all follow the same type of pattern so that you aren’t put off guard by the attention of certain songs in certain places. It just flows nicely together and while some songs, like Anberlin‘s A Day Late, stick out more, none of them go in the opposite direction and make you reach for the ever present skip button.

While Double Blind Music are still a young label, it seems as if they are creating a nice little niche for themselves in the underground hardcore scene. And even if their {un}known series don’t break into the mainstream, if they keep coming out, I won’t be dissapointed.