NYC Sucks (But It Doesn't)
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Do people listen to compilations anymore?
Our counterparts at MetalSucks have released a free digital compilation called NYC Sucks, Volume 1. Info and download details are here. (Volume 2 comes later this month.) In order, the bands are:
1. East of the Wall
2. Made out of Babies
3. Tiger Flowers
4. Black Anvil
5. Naam
6. Batillus
7. Meek Is Murder
8. The Binary Code
9. Castevet
10. Hung
11. Wizardry
12. Pyrrhon
13. Mutant Supremacy
14. Incendiary
This is a brilliant idea, as (a) it supports their local New York scene, and (b) it gets all these bands’ Facebook and Twitter pages linking back to MetalSucks.
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So I thought I’d do one for Invisible Oranges.
But I honestly don’t know what it would be. I could do one for my local Los Angeles scene, which has many cool bands. But it would be so diverse that it would likely be unlistenable. The best metal comps have probably been those where the bands sound mostly alike. That creates the impression of a unified phenomenon (regional sound, sonic trend, etc.), which listeners want to consume via a catch-all artifact.
Also, we’ve already given away many mixtapes over the years, whether by us, guests, or labels as samplers. I’m not sure what yet another one, just branded as Invisible Oranges, would achieve.
Finally, do people even listen to compilations anymore? They were handy back in the day to learn about new bands. But now there is such a glut of bands that I view compilations as just more noise. Labels and blogs are putting out digital compilations that are, like, two hours long and feature dozens of bands. (Sitting on my hard drive is a German doom compilation that’s literally over eight hours long.) No one wants to listen to that.
The best compilations of late that I can think of are the This Comp Kills Fascists ones (because five minutes is about how long I want to hear any powerviolence band) and Prophecy Productions Whom the Moon a Nightsong Sings (because acoustic songs by metal bands is an idea worth exploring).
So, any ideas for a compilation for us to put together?
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