Brainlove Records - Two Thousand And Ace! Album Review

Album review of Brainlove Records presents.Two Thousand And Ace! Released through Brainlove Records.

If we were to compile a list of record labels least likely to ever sell their souls to the corporate, money-orientated confines of the uberbusiness-centric majors, London indie Brainlove Records would undoubtedly figure in the upper echelons of the Top 10. Not just independent in stature, but also by way of its very nature too, from their humble bedsit beginnings to the fact that even now, doubling up as an occasional clubnight and live promotions mantle, Brainlove's manifesto is strictly one dimensional in that its purpose is purely to put out music by artists they love rather than who might shift a million or so albums.

Nevertheless, as with many tiny imprints, Brainlove Records' uncanny knack of doing the A&R man's job for him seem to reach new levels on the back of Napoleon III's excellent 'In Debt To' album last year, a record that attracted widespread praise throughout music media circles culminating in several end of year top ten poll appearances.

With that of course, comes the inevitable surge of interest in the rest of the artists on the roster, so with this bumper 27-song (count 'em) compilation to commemorate the label's fifth birthday anyone caught up in the process of discovering new talent should have an absolute field day with this little lot.

Among the artists featured on 'Brainlove Records presents.Two Thousand And Ace!' are the already established likes of Bearsuit, Modernaire and Napoleon IIIrd, but it's among some of the newer breed that things really start to get hot under the collar.

Cats In Paris delirious opener 'And Ugly' mixes folk overtones with discordant electronica while the delightful Keyboard Choir's 'In This Situation, Thinking Won't Help!' paves the way for a home-grown re-interpretation of what the likes of Battles and Pivot are currently receiving so much attention for elsewhere. Similarly Slag Rabbit's gorgeous post-rock noodling 'Fleur-de-lis' and The Empty Set's twee folk of 'Your Hay Fever' are nothing short of divine. Add Friends Of The Bride's jaunty 'I've Had My Moments', Pseudo Nippon's Warp Records sounding electronic meltdown 'Constellation Jebubu' and Jam On Bread's paean to his favourite Swedish record label 'I Heart Labrador Records' and you're pretty much onto a winner whatever genre floats your boat the most.

Of course there are times when a little quality control may have to be applied via the button, but thankfully these are few and far between. All in all then, the people at Brainlove have done us proud once more; here's to five more happy and relatively successful years.

8/10
Dom Gourlay