Okay, if anyone was still doubting the commercial appeal of the current emo/pop-punk/hardcore trend, let this compilation put your worries to rest. Just a few years ago, this CD would've been crammed by MTV with the latest in nu-metal/rape-rock. In 2002, this CD reads as a list of who's hot in the music world right now. A tracklisting, for your perusal:
1. Bleed American - Jimmy Eat World
2. Understanding in a Car Crash - Thursday
3. A Box Full of Sharp Objects - The Used
4. The Nephilim - AFI
5. The Fallacy of Retrospective Determinism - The Rise
6. Take Me Away - Unwritten Law
7. See You in the Shallows - Thrice
8. The Boy's Republic - Deftones
9. Something More - Sinch
10. Jude Law and a Semester Abroad - Brandnew
11. Saints And Sailors - Dashboard Confessional
12. An Agreement Called Forever - 36 Crazyfists
13. Engine - Haste
14. Pieces - Hoobastank
15. Bring It Low - The Juliana Theory
16. 33 - Coheed And Cambria
17. Something I Call Personality - New Found Glory
18. All Rise - Jersey
19. You Know How I Do - Taking Back Sunday
20. Walking on Glass - The Movielife
21. Overdue - The Get Up Kids
All I have to say is wow - sure, Roadrunner snuck a few of their shit bands on there [Sinch, I'm looking in your direction], but overall it's a pretty solid compilation of some of the most popular names in the scene right now. I'm still in shock that this is being sponsored by MTV - the co-opting of our scene is complete. Anyway, you didn't come here for a diatribe about ethics, you came for a review, and a review you shall get.
All the songs on this compilation that I really like are ones I already own on the band's respective albums. But a CD like this isn't for me - this is a primer for kids just getting into this form of music. The big names like Hoobastank are there to attract the kids right away, and then Jimmy Eat World and Dashboard Confessional assure them that they want to buy this. Once they do, they'll be exposed to a world of decent-to-really good music, with only a few duds [again, Sinch, I'm looking in your direction].
So why should a jaded scenester like yourself buy this? Well, there are a few perks: The Unwritten Law song is a previously unreleased tune from their "S/T" sessions a few years back. The Deftones song is also previously unreleased. And if you're into them, the Juliana Theory contributes a brand new song that will presumably be on their major label debut this fall. All three tracks are really good songs, and probably some of the best on the CD overall [even the Juliana Theory song - I despise that band and I still dug the song; it's a lot heavier than the band's prior stuff].
This CD isn't bad for what it is, and as a mix CD it's a little above par [just skip over the 36 Crazyfists/Haste/Hoobastank trio - you'll thank me]. I can't say I'd recommend this to many of you, but if you have siblings/friends who are just discovering the wonderful world that is "left of the dial," this wouldn't be a bad CD to have them get their feet wet to.