On The Bone - Compilation Number Two Album Review

Rating: 4 out of 5

On The Bone
Compilation Number Two
Album Review

With London too busy trying to create the next big scene, Sheffield still cloning the next Arctic Monkeys and Manchester desperately clinging on to the coat tails of its past, Leeds has usurped all of them in terms of being the UK's focal point for exciting new talent as well as envisaging a continuing DIY aesthetic among many aspiring labels to ensure said music gets heard elsewhere.

One such label is On The Bone Records, essentially the brainchild of one James Brown, himself featuring on this compilation as one quarter of Leeds' newest, noisiest kids on the block, Pulled Apart By Horses. 'On The Bone Compilation (Number 2)' follows on from last year's first release, and subsequent single releases from the now departed Mother Vulpine, Fran Rodgers and That Fu**ing Tank, the latter two both making telling contributions here.

Cramming together a massive nineteen tracks, '.Compilation (Number 2)' still doesn't tell half the story as to what a real hotbed of creativity Leeds is at present, yet manages to avoid including a duff track all the same, which says everything about the city and its music scene.

What's more, the Leeds 'scene' isn't a defined scene by genre or sound as such, so for your money's worth - a mere fiver folks, which makes this an absolute bargain - you've got an eclectic mix of the good and the great, ranging from This Et Al's progressive space rock to The Lodger's bedroom indie that could almost be renamed Son Of Gedge. Elsewhere, the aforementioned That Fu**ing Tank and These Monsters fuse instrumental post-rock with a monstrous noise that the former elongate into a nine-minute prog-belter of epic proportions.

Wintermute and Mucky Sailor both contribute spiky gems that are almost radio-friendly in their delivery, yet retain an added bite and individuality about them that could see either band following !Forward Russia!'s well-trodden path towards more widespread, nationwide recognition.

Two of the better known artists here, I Concur and Grammatics, both get the remix treatment which although not an improvement on the original versions, aren't wholly unlistenable either, the Bracken remix of the former's 'Lucky Jack' just about scraping home in front of God Bolton's reworking of 'Polar Swelling'.

All in all, this is another essential compilation and another fine artefact to add to the many already on offer from this previously overlooked city. London, you've a lot of catching up to do.

4/5
Dom Gourlay