I Don't Know What The Hell To Do So I'll Go Shopping

 

Yes, it was my compilation! Glad you liked a few of the songs, but it was a CD that would have suited a fan of more alternative music I suppose. It seems whenever I make an alternative compilation, a pop fan gets it and whenever I make a pop compilation, an alternative fan gets it - it was always the case on ChC and it appears the same has happened again on Buzzjack! I tried to make it as varied as possible without losing a decent flow between the tracks, but I'm guessing you were probably looking for a few more pure pop tunes, so I do apologise that they were few and far between!

 

Anyway, here's the full tracklisting:

 

01. Anna Ternheim - What Have I Done

Anna is from Sweden. What Have I Done was the lead single from her 2008 album, Leaving On A Mayday.

 

02. iamamiwhoami - N

I couldn't for the life of me work out how to remove covers, so I do apologise that the mystery was spoilt with this song and a few of the others. N is most definitely my favourite of their songs, but I do adore everything they have released. The lyrics of this track are fantastic, and the second verse is just gorgeous.

 

03. Patrick Wolf - Together

An album track from his recent release, Lupercalia. By far my favourite of the non-singles on the album. It has an air of Visage about it - I just love it!

 

04. Daniel Benjamin - My Cloud Has Lost It's Silver Lining

I can see why you might not like this, it's very similar to the sort of thing Nick Cave would release. Rather subdued and solemn. The female vocals are by Daniel's wife.

 

05. Gabby Young & Other Animals - Ask You A Question

A change of pace and burst of energy from this British act. Ask You A Question is a track which relies heavily on a sample of a Russian song called Kalinka.

 

06. Katzenjammer - To The Sea

Sticking with a more "out there" sound, it is indeed Katzenjammer who are behind this sea shanty number. This is from the excellent debut album, Le Pop.

 

07. 3 Daft Monkeys - Paranoid Big Brother

Cornish folk music now. I have a soft spot for this trio and the album which this is lifted from, Social Vertigo, is actually really rather decent!

 

08. Leaves' Eyes - Mourning Tree

A shame you didn't really like this one, I personally think it's absolutely stunning. Leaves' Eyes are a German-Nordic metal band fronted by vocalist, Liv Kristine. Mourning Tree is taken from the album Vinland Saga.

 

09. Clinigol feat. Nia Medi - Cyfrinach

It is indeed Welsh, and one of the better recent releases which features the language. They haven't released much to date, but this is my favourite of what I've heard so far!

 

10. Neo - Serial Killer

I sent this into Unknown Pleasures some months back where it polarized opinion. Neo are from Hungary and are very brash!

 

11. Heads We Dance - Take My Picture

UK electro pop. I'm not sure quite what happened to this promising act, I was really excited about the direction they were heading in and I haven't heard anything about them since this song was released at the end of 2009.

 

12. Polly Scattergood - Bunny Club

It's all about the build up and majestic climax of this track. Bunny Club comes from her fantastic self titled debut album.

 

13. Little Majorette - Never Be The Same

A Swedish act, first introduced to me when Dalisska entered Bite The Bullet into BJSC. Never Be The Same is my favourite track of theirs and comes from the brilliant album, Rifle Heart.

 

14. Páll Óskar - Minn Hinsti Dans

Hmm, this was a bit of a random inclusion but I was going through a phase of loving this track when I submitted the compilation weeks back. This was Iceland's entry into the 1997 contest and it flopped majorly thanks to the voting being heavily influenced by juries at that time. It did well in the televoting though and has gone on to become a cult favourite amongst die hard fans of the contest. The performance was amazing...

 

15. Kaja - Lygin Ein

Sticking with Eurovision and sticking with Iceland, this was a rejected entry from Söngvakeppni Sjónvarpsins (The Icelandic selection show for Eurovision) the same year Yohanna won and went on to finish second in Eurovision. Despite "Is It True?" being a magnificent entry, I would have been very intrigued to see how this edgy electro-pop tune would have gone down on Europe's biggest stage.

 

16. Duran Duran - The Man Who Stole A Leopard

Arguably the best song from the band since 1993's Ordinary World. The Man Who Stole A Leopard, which bares similarities to fan favourite, The Chauffeur, features Kelis as a guest vocalist.

 

17. Soap&Skin - Mr Gaunt pt. 1000

A song used on a recent Volvo TV advert. I don't agree that the singer is trying too hard, she is genuinely scary, maybe a little bit disturbed, and it works brilliantly. The album is a whole lot darker than this track however, so proceed with caution if you are going to explore more of her songs.

 

18. Portishead - The Rip

A beautiful track from an act who can do no wrong, imo.

 

19. Cerys Matthews - Salutations

This is where the title of the compilation is lifted from. Salutations is a track from Cerys' third full length album, which was released in both English and Welsh versions. Although the track is quite humorous, you can also hear the agonising longing and sensitivity in her voice. It takes a few listens to get into, but this is most certainly one of her most accomplished tracks.

 

20. Hooverphonic - The Night Before

Hooverphonic are from Belgium. The Night Before was the lead single from their most recent album of the same name.

Interesting to read your comments behind each track Mark, will input the track titles into my iTunes now :D

 

I assumed it was a conscious choice to make it so female heavy seeing as I know you're not one exactly known for female artist looning! Interesting to see that that actually was Arcade Fire. Indeed I've never really clicked with any of their singles but that song was a lot more melodic to my ears and I liked it straight away. With regard to The Knife, I've actually liked quite a lot of their stuff - I can overlook the dire anomaly that was Variation of Birds! Ohhh, I take it that Jenny Lewis song is from the now legendary Rabbit Fur Coat album? :o Nope never heard the original or any incarnation of that Hot Chip song although I definitely knew I recognised that voice from somewhere!

 

Ever since I've done the CD Swap's on various forums - with the exception of the rock/nu-metal type one I received from Charlie a couple of years ago - I've received pop/indie compilations that I almost always end up enjoying and keeping. It's a genre that I do like, I just don't expose myself to it much which is where these online contests and things like the CD Swap come in really handy. My CD's have been sent to Pavel, Brett-Butler and yourself over the years and now funnily enough I've received one back from each as well, strange how it always seems to work out! Thanks for the recommendations, I'll see if I can find them on Spotify, Jenny Lewis in particular I can imagine enjoying a full album by.

Not sure why it's taken me so long to remember about this thread... :lol:

 

Variation of Birds is definitely an awful anomoly for The Knife, their singles at least tend to be excellent. You Are What You Love is from Rabbit Fur Coat, the album is pretty much of the same vein, alternative, folky country music. It's all so lovely because their voices go together so well. It is odd how you often get people's in return, I think this is the first time I've ever ended up 'swapping' compilations with anyone actually!

 

If anyone wants the link I'm sure either Rich or Phil will send it, I don't have it anymore as I didn't save the PM! Hopefully my review will be up tomorrow!

I Don't Know What The Hell To Do So I'll Go Shopping

 

Yes, it was my compilation! Glad you liked a few of the songs, but it was a CD that would have suited a fan of more alternative music I suppose. It seems whenever I make an alternative compilation, a pop fan gets it and whenever I make a pop compilation, an alternative fan gets it - it was always the case on ChC and it appears the same has happened again on Buzzjack! I tried to make it as varied as possible without losing a decent flow between the tracks, but I'm guessing you were probably looking for a few more pure pop tunes, so I do apologise that they were few and far between!

 

Anyway, here's the full tracklisting:

 

01. Anna Ternheim - What Have I Done

Anna is from Sweden. What Have I Done was the lead single from her 2008 album, Leaving On A Mayday.

 

02. iamamiwhoami - N

I couldn't for the life of me work out how to remove covers, so I do apologise that the mystery was spoilt with this song and a few of the others. N is most definitely my favourite of their songs, but I do adore everything they have released. The lyrics of this track are fantastic, and the second verse is just gorgeous.

 

03. Patrick Wolf - Together

An album track from his recent release, Lupercalia. By far my favourite of the non-singles on the album. It has an air of Visage about it - I just love it!

 

04. Daniel Benjamin - My Cloud Has Lost It's Silver Lining

I can see why you might not like this, it's very similar to the sort of thing Nick Cave would release. Rather subdued and solemn. The female vocals are by Daniel's wife.

 

05. Gabby Young & Other Animals - Ask You A Question

A change of pace and burst of energy from this British act. Ask You A Question is a track which relies heavily on a sample of a Russian song called Kalinka.

 

06. Katzenjammer - To The Sea

Sticking with a more "out there" sound, it is indeed Katzenjammer who are behind this sea shanty number. This is from the excellent debut album, Le Pop.

 

07. 3 Daft Monkeys - Paranoid Big Brother

Cornish folk music now. I have a soft spot for this trio and the album which this is lifted from, Social Vertigo, is actually really rather decent!

 

08. Leaves' Eyes - Mourning Tree

A shame you didn't really like this one, I personally think it's absolutely stunning. Leaves' Eyes are a German-Nordic metal band fronted by vocalist, Liv Kristine. Mourning Tree is taken from the album Vinland Saga.

 

09. Clinigol feat. Nia Medi - Cyfrinach

It is indeed Welsh, and one of the better recent releases which features the language. They haven't released much to date, but this is my favourite of what I've heard so far!

 

10. Neo - Serial Killer

I sent this into Unknown Pleasures some months back where it polarized opinion. Neo are from Hungary and are very brash!

 

11. Heads We Dance - Take My Picture

UK electro pop. I'm not sure quite what happened to this promising act, I was really excited about the direction they were heading in and I haven't heard anything about them since this song was released at the end of 2009.

 

12. Polly Scattergood - Bunny Club

It's all about the build up and majestic climax of this track. Bunny Club comes from her fantastic self titled debut album.

 

13. Little Majorette - Never Be The Same

A Swedish act, first introduced to me when Dalisska entered Bite The Bullet into BJSC. Never Be The Same is my favourite track of theirs and comes from the brilliant album, Rifle Heart.

 

14. Páll Óskar - Minn Hinsti Dans

Hmm, this was a bit of a random inclusion but I was going through a phase of loving this track when I submitted the compilation weeks back. This was Iceland's entry into the 1997 contest and it flopped majorly thanks to the voting being heavily influenced by juries at that time. It did well in the televoting though and has gone on to become a cult favourite amongst die hard fans of the contest. The performance was amazing...

 

15. Kaja - Lygin Ein

Sticking with Eurovision and sticking with Iceland, this was a rejected entry from Söngvakeppni Sjónvarpsins (The Icelandic selection show for Eurovision) the same year Yohanna won and went on to finish second in Eurovision. Despite "Is It True?" being a magnificent entry, I would have been very intrigued to see how this edgy electro-pop tune would have gone down on Europe's biggest stage.

 

16. Duran Duran - The Man Who Stole A Leopard

Arguably the best song from the band since 1993's Ordinary World. The Man Who Stole A Leopard, which bares similarities to fan favourite, The Chauffeur, features Kelis as a guest vocalist.

 

17. Soap&Skin - Mr Gaunt pt. 1000

A song used on a recent Volvo TV advert. I don't agree that the singer is trying too hard, she is genuinely scary, maybe a little bit disturbed, and it works brilliantly. The album is a whole lot darker than this track however, so proceed with caution if you are going to explore more of her songs.

 

18. Portishead - The Rip

A beautiful track from an act who can do no wrong, imo.

 

19. Cerys Matthews - Salutations

This is where the title of the compilation is lifted from. Salutations is a track from Cerys' third full length album, which was released in both English and Welsh versions. Although the track is quite humorous, you can also hear the agonising longing and sensitivity in her voice. It takes a few listens to get into, but this is most certainly one of her most accomplished tracks.

 

20. Hooverphonic - The Night Before

Hooverphonic are from Belgium. The Night Before was the lead single from their most recent album of the same name.

I can pretty much guarantee my compilation will go to Dandy*, RFC or Pavel and they'll hate it :lol:

 

It was quite good to have an alternative hour and a bit actually, even if some of it wasn't to my taste :P Surprised to see a Duran Duran song was there, it really didn't sound like them to me! :o Shall definitely check out some Anna Ternheim, Patrick Wolf (I've been meaning to give Luprecelia a listen for a while!), Gabby Young & The Animals, Katzenjammer (as with Patrick, been meaning to check out Le Pop for a while!), Clinigol, Neo (I love Underground as well), Polly Scattergood (heard her name flung around quite a bit, I've heard great things about the album so I shall give it a go!), Little Majorette, Kaja, Cerys Matthews (loved her in I'm A Celeb as an aside :P And some of her Catatonia stuff!) and Hooverphonic (turns out I didn't know the act as I said :lol:).

 

Thank you for the great discoveries ^_^

So many reviews to come by Sunday, only 4 days left! :o If the person who has mine hasn't submitted their review by then, I'm still going to post the tracklisting and reasonings just in case anybody else wants to download it...

I'm hoping to do mine today. Fingers crossed we get them in by Sunday.

 

 

On Monday I shall send out all the links to everyone.

This is Buzzjack, they should all flood in on Sunday! I'm suspecting some won't appear at all though which is a shame considering the effort people have put into making them.

I intend on reviewing mine on Saturday, I just got really busy with uni stuff and haven't had the time to do it.

OHHCRAP. I will get on this ASAP like Alexandra Stan.

 

(Could whoever has mine review it pl0x)

OHHCRAP. I will get on this ASAP like Alexandra Stan.

 

(Could whoever has mine review it pl0x)

You better :angry:

 

Because I heard that the CD you've got is like the best thing ever or something.

Whoever made "Wonderous Wall Of Sound", I have your CD and shall be writing a review over Friday & Saturday :D I don't think it sounds that poppy, but maybe that's just me. Either way, hoping for at least a couple of great discoveries.

I'm done reviewing 10 tracks, as I've done at least one track each day. Some days I've done two or even three. Will continue like that and have my review posted before the deadline either on Saturday or Sunday. Like my own compilation I wanna put in the extra effort on my review as well..

That's cool. I'd like to do that, but more likely I'll throw it together in the last half hour :(

I'm halfway through writing my review. I'm currently on track 9 which is that God awful Sak Noel song! :puke: HAHA. I will finish it off later tonight after work. :D

Erm, I haven't really started mine :ph34r:

It's not looking promising for all of the reviews to be in on time is it :drama: 3/15 so far!

 

Update the opening post please Phil, I did review mine :P

Instead I'm On The Avenue Where Nobody Goes... - Review

01. The album starts off with some classical music which seems like a somewhat surprising introduction to this album. It's a lovely piece of music to listen to, makes you want to just lie back and chill out. Blissful, would laugh if the next track was happy hardcore for maximum effect. :D 09/10

02. Another track based around a nice piano melody. This sounds familiar actually. Oh, it's 'Hallelujah' but not in English. :lol: Strong vocal performance from the lady singing. The style of this cover version is very pop/rock in a Taylor Swift kinda way. Quite good but the opening track had a bit more of an impact on me. 7/10

03. Another track with a good use of piano too. The vocals sounds really familiar - I'm sure I know the artist. Sounds like Sugababes? Don't recognise this song though but it's ok. The chorus is a bit flat though and doesn't really stand out. Not bad but not brilliant. 5/10

04. A slice of pure country music right now. I feel like I'm about to break into some line dancing. :lol: Whilst I'm not the biggest fan of country music, this isn't that bad actually. Gotta love a fiddle solo. :D I'm guessing this is LeAnn Rimes? 7/10

05. More uptempo country pop here with another female vocalist. I'm going to guess this is called 'Today's Another Day' but haven't a clue who the artist is. This is another song I actually like more than I thought I would from the first few seconds. I'm being conveted to female led country pop. :lol: 7/10

06. Aah, now a change in style with this song. This sounds much more mature from the start. It's not bad but I find it slightly underwhelming to listen to. :( 5/10

07. This song follows on nicely from the last track. A more mature pop sound with yet another female vocalist. It reminds me of Kelly Clarkson - well, the type of song I could imagine Kelly Clarkson releasing. It's definitely not Kelly singing this song though. Have to admit, there's nothing here that's grabbing my attention at all. It's a good song, but for me it's not a great song. Sowwy!!! 5/10

08. More happy clappy country pop. :D Maybe this would've followed on better after track 5. Once again, we have a female vocalist. It's certainly the most uptempo song so far and I quite like this as well. Is this Shania Twain? Like this quite a bit. 8/10

09. We've reverted back to the more mature pop/rock sound. Hmm, I'm really trying to like this but it's just not happening. :( Not entirely keen on the female vocalists this time round. On the plus side, it's not a terrible song at least. :P The vocals let this song down. Would be interesting to hear this if it was performed by whoever sings track 8. 4/10

10. Another bouncy piano style to the start of this song - quite Kate Nash in its production. Oh, now that the lady has started singing it's definitely not Kate Nash but for reason the style of the track makes me think of her. The way the style changes throughout makes it slightly more interesting than had it all been the same the whole way through. There's definitely been tracks already that I've preferred more. This is ok but nothing more than that. 5/10

11. Ooh, a dance beat. *.* I guess the second half of the album is going to be more dance orientated then? Plenty of "ohh" and "hey hey" and "ahh ahh". Liking the sound of this once the melody kicks in at 0:43. Looking at my WinAmp it says this track is 5:49 so I'm thinking this is a remix? Liking this track quite a lot, definitely one of the better tracks I've heard so far. Ohh, breakdown at 3:35, I thought the song had finished for a split second before realising there's still over 1 minute left. 8/10

12. STRINGS!!! The type of strings that would make GD go *.* :lol: Very dramatic drums at the start of this track. Is this a song from Eurovision or Melodifestivalen as it definitely reminds of something like this. Also at 3:03 in length that surely confirms it's a Eurovision related song. Do I think this song is Eurotastic? I'm afraid not. There are elements of the song I'm liking but overall it just misses the mark for me. 5/10

13. Dance beat, bendy synth notes and trashy female vocals. Perfect BJSC material then? It even comes complete with "oh oh ohh" male backing vocals. Oh, there's actually male vocals in this song. Shame the male vocals are absolutely dreadful. :lol: Haven't a clue who this is. It's definitely not Alphabeat, surely? :o From the first 30 seconds this song showed
promise but I'm now finding this song more disappointing as it's continued. Are they singing "slag in my bag"? Oh, "SWAG in my bag". :lol: Not a highlight I'm afraid. 4/10

14. The first couple of seconds makes me think of 80s S/A/W at their most textbook. Another slice of trashy pop with female vocals. This really is a weird song. :lol: Like the last song there are elements I like the sound of but then I find other parts far too cluttered and messy which is down to how this song has been produced. Marginally better than the last
track but not by much. 4.5/10

15. After the cluttered sounds of track 14, this sounds so much better straight away with much more of a summery vibe. It's certainly an improvement on the last 2 tracks I've listened to. Pleasant song but there's been a couple of others I've enjoyed more. 7/10

16. Female vocals? Check. Strings? Check. Piano? Check. Pop/rock backing track? Check. This could also be a small handful of songs I've already heard to be honest. I think this is usually the problem I have with all these female vocal pop/rock songs is that they're so similar it's difficult to differentiate who is who. Then again, that's also the big problem I tend to have with a lot of US rappers so there you go. :lol: For all I know the female artist singing this track has appeared already earlier on. 5/10

17. Aah, is this Caro Emerald? From the first few seconds with the old 1930's music sample has made me think of Caro instantly. It's certainly a lot more uplifting compared to some of the previous tracks I've listened to. It's a nice contrast to the more trashy sounding tracks - this being quite classy in its style. Nice addition. 7/10

18. More pop/rock with female vocals but song is failing to make any impact whatsoever. This song is making me think of 80s group Madness purely from the backing music. :lol: For me, this really isn't a strong song at all. It's now finished and has made zero impact. Do I want to listen again? No... :( 3.5/10

19. Returning to the dance music with this track. I might be wrong but this sounds like Luciana (from Bodyrox 'Yeah Yeah' fame) as this female vocalists sounds very much like her. Unfortunately this song isn't quite making the type of impact I'd have expected from when the song started. I shall guess it's called 'I'm Still Hot'? I've definitely heard better dance tracks but also heard worse. 5/10

20. What a contrast. :D From trashy dance to a ballad. Genius!!! :lol: This is quite a nice little tune but the vocals are slightly grating on some of the high notes. Nonetheless, I still enjoyed this song - certainly more than some of the other tracks included. 6/10

21. More piano. More female vocals. This time with a 'Since U Been Gone' type processed drum machine loop. This isn't that bad actually. Not really much else to add really. I think I'm getting slightly restless. :ph34r: 6.5/10

22. A live recording to finish off this album. Ahh, this is Sugababes. The biggest clues are given before they even sing. Firstly Keisha (?) says "normally in our set we would do a Run For Cover one" taking about acapella performances, closely followed by "ready Mutya". They're singing Madonna 'Like A Virgin' and I have to LOL at the painful harmonies at 0:54
when they attempt to harmonise on the word "new" in the line "yeah you make me feel shiny and new". Whoever comes in last to harmonise really hit a stinker of a bum note there. :lol: I shall assume this was the bonus track thrown on for good measure. :D 4/10 (if it had been a more polished studio recording it might've been a higher mark)

Conclusion
This is the perfect album for you if you love yourselves a good slice of country pop and some trashy electro dance music. All by female artists - except for track 13!!! :D There were a couple of absolute gems. The opening track is a beautiful piece of music. There were only a couple of songs that didn't appeal to me at all whilst everything else was on varying levels of good/ok.

Who compiled it?
This is difficult to tell as there must be a few posters taking part who love female vocalists, country pop and dance music. I'm going to predict it was GD - it sounds like the type of album I'd expect Rich to compile. :D

It's blatantly obvious who did that CD :lol:

It's blatantly obvious who did that CD :lol:

 

:D

 

I shall stick with my guess and say it was gooddelta.

 

Who do you think compiled this album Liam?

I may be wrong but that doesn't scream Gooddelta to me... I'd probably go with Silas or Jonjo maybe?

:D

 

I shall stick with my guess and say it was gooddelta.

 

Who do you think compiled this album Liam?

Well it's not me, I'd say it was Silas.