NORTH OF NOWHERE: 19 BANDS FROM BELLINGHAM Various Artists 1993

 

Discogs

 

Compilation featuring 19 bands from Bellingham, Washington on the Gritty Kitty record label

 

Tracklist

1. Fat - Take It Away
2. Grover - Spiral Of Archimedes
3. Medlicious - Beverly
4. Wicker Biscuit - Rodney's Mouthpiece
5. Crayon - Crown
6. Stagnant Water - I Wanna Hold My Hand
7. Dunebuggy - Big Shoes
8. Sourmash - Alright Captain
9. Jerkwater - Pusshead
10. Game For Vultures - Arizona
11. Noggin - (too obnoxious for me to put here. If you want to know the title, click the Discogs link)
12. Outside - This Is Sickness
13. Saucer - Chicky Chicky Frown
14. Rambis - Velvet Room
15. Lawndart - Horses
16. Hussy - Steel Trap
17. Nowhere Garden - 1/2 The Things I See
18. The Meek - Emily
19. Loaf - Terrasmad

THE VANS WARPED TOUR 96 Various Artists 1996

by request

 

 Discogs 

 

Tracklist

1	Goldfinger (7)–	Anxiety	2:21
2	S.C.O.T.S.*–	White Trash	2:01
3	Dimestore Hoods–	Minds Of Confusion	3:38
4	Red Five (2)–	Space	2:36
5	Dance Hall Crashers–	Queen For A Day	2:48
6	Genius*–	Shadowboxin	3:29
7	Compulsion–	All We Heard Was A Dull Thud	4:00
8	Sublime (2)–	Paddle Out/Wrong Way	3:30
9	Steve Wynn–	Why	2:48
10	Loud Lucy–	Down Baby	2:30
11	Lifter–	Headshot	3:11
12	Kicking Harold–	Kill You	3:48
13	Boss Hog–	Winn Coma	2:16
14	Grover (6)–	My Wild Life	2:42
15	Spot (3)–	Moon June Spoon	5:13
16	Hog–	Get A Job	2:49
17	Reel Big Fish–	Snoop Dog, Baby	3:36
18	China Drum–	Can't Stop These Things	2:59
19	Possum Dixon–	Crashing Your Planet	2:59
20	Mr. Mirainga–	Jalopeno Eyes	3:32
21	Beck–	Make Out City (Where Its At Remix)	3:08

GROVER My Wild Life 1996

Upped by

ElDiabloConQueso

Discogs

From Furia.com

Grover: My Wild Life

Speaking of Mitch Easter and Let's Active, Grover marks the resurfacing of Let's Active's Angie Carlson, and Mitch himself even produces four of these songs. The others, for another Boston connection, are produced by Kevin Salem, once of the band Dumptruck (and whose solo album Soma City, from last year, I got recently, and really like). And to tie all stray elements together, My Wild Life ironically bears more than a little resemblance to Slip It Under the Door. Angie's dense waves of distortion color what might have been cheery pop songs, and give them an ominous haziness. Angular twists of guitar remind me a little of the Breeders, and Angie's raw, slightly-chirpy, English-accented voice then bends the mood in yet another direction, making Grover sound a little like Elastica without so much Wire in it.

When this works, as it does arrestingly in the raspy bass pulse and airy vocals of "Yeah, I'm Dumb", the This Mortal Coil-like vocal flourishes in "Bend", the jumpy and good-natured bop of "My Wild Life", the frantic verses of "Sweet Thing", the distinctly Big Star-ish "Anesthesia", the snarling (and Sleeper-like) "Superhero", the swirling atmosphere of "Heavy Past" and the twangy Byrds-y chorus of "Damaged Girl", it's quite intriguing and effective, indistinct in a good way, preserving some animating mystery. When it doesn't work, though, it can just sound muddy and strained, as if the music can't quite extricate itself from aural quicksand. Several of these songs, despite the sterling production credits, sound an awful lot like demos, and while this is appealing in some ways, in some ways it also makes me impatient to hear what Grover will be able to do when they really have time to get things right.

Tracklist

1	Yeah, I'm Dumb
2	Hole In My Eye
3	Bend
4	My Wild Life
5	Pretty Machine
6	Sweet Thing
7	Anesthesia
8	Superhero
9	Parachute
10	Heavy Past
11	Damaged Girl
12	I'm Dreaming