Highlight Track: "All You Are"
For More Info: Visit http://www.fiddlerrecords.com or http://www.poulainmusic.com
Artist: THE RED HOT VALENTINES
Album: Summer Fling
The Scoop: Like Incubus, The Red Hot Valentines have a penchant for earnest musings on getting the most out of life. The occasional tepid emo line ("Would you still hold me if I cried for the part of me that died?") can be forgiven because of the refreshing ones that pepper the album. If I may permitted to use a few cliches, wearing your heart on your sleeve is risky business that involves walking a very thin line between poignancy and melodrama. RHV toe the line and live to tell about it. Summer Fling delivers the goods promised by the Calling Off Today EP: an album of fleeting summer loves and carpe diem sunrises. Out-of-love songs like "Christine" have some of Rivers Cuomo's charming bewilderment with the female half of the species ("Oh Christine, you're so mean when you call me up and tell me that we're better off as friends").Highlight Tracks: "Pocket Full of Secrets" and "Don't Bother"
Also Noteworthy... (A Brief Tirade): I don't mean to flog a dead horse, but upstart bands need to know that artwork is important. The aesthetic counts. I'm amazed by the careless, Powerpoint-looking crap some bands pass off as cover art or liner notes. Not the case for RHV, whose nostalgia-inducing artwork includes doodles, candid photos, lipstick, and a loving nod to AC/DC.
For More Info: Visit http://www.theredhotvalentines.com
Artist: STARTIME INTERNATIONAL
Album: Supercuts
The Scoop: Of the new compilations that showcase the "New York sound" (see also: Yes New York on Wolfgang Mordem and Shout! The Revolution Rave Up Alive 1997-2003 on Kemado), Startime International's nicely titled Supercuts is the best. Granted, it doesn't have the knock-out punches of Yes New York, which offers tracks by dynamos like Ted Leo and Interpol. Instead, Startime goes after less obvious gems, even if it means turning their gaze away from NYC (actually, more than half of the bands are not based in New York, although they adhere to a certain NYC ethic). Mood-wise, it isn't as one-note as Shout!, taking a break from the jangly rock with bands like Pas/cal and Ambulance Ltd., who wouldn't sound out of place on a mix tape with Starlet or Belle and Sebastian. The compilation scores high points in the "mix tape artistry" category, as it blends a variety of genres and volumes without sacrificing a throughline. The key? Whatever path you walk, be sure to return to the rock; The High Strung's retro-blast "Wretched Boy" kicks things off and 84 Nash's one-minute cruise missile "False Start" puts it to bed.
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