It's not often that I listen to a follow-up and feel anyone heeded my previous advice; compared to the last Live at KEXP, I actually hear the learning curve with the third effort. The trick to great compilations is diversity without shock, or the art of transition. The 2nd volume was so arranged so haphazardly, the poorest tracks lacked protection and the best lacked support. Live at KEXP Volume 3 shows the cohesion the earlier effort lacked, and, for this reason, the 17 choice tracks benefit from its listenability. Representing many genres of independent music, and featuring artists with various experiences, the disc not only provides a superb studio recording of each live performance, but also a chance for most listeners to begin in a comfort zone and expand into an unknown world. Before the 2nd volume, I hadn't spent much time listening to The Decembrists or Lyrics Born; The Long Winters and Billy Bragg may be the artists to enter that realm from this release. Like a craftier Connells, The Long Winters lead the compilation with "Pushover", which starts with staggering guitars that lack the feet to keep rhythm. The jangle soon gathers energy enough to par up with the best Doves' songs. Billy Bragg, a legendary name I've never been able to attach to a song, changes everything with "
The Great Leap Forward". Able to mix folk, pop and politics, Bragg shows brilliance I had only previously attributed to the likes of Robyn Hitchcock. It's nice to hear informed lyrics rather than veiled, uninformed attacks, which have become the habit, plus the witty humor of Bragg. In 3 minutes, he attacks Rumsfeld, the oil industry, MTV, and military strategy, but throws in, "If you've got a Myspace site, I want to be on it. It's the only friends I have on tour these days." "
The Great Leap Forward" is an honest take: sad, ugly, funny, beautiful, thought provoking.
Live at KEXP Volume 3 may begin with Southern Rock and end with Folk, but in between it is oozing with catchy Pop and artists engulfed in the modern samples and beats expected from a post-Postal Service crowd. "Young Folks" may be the "Song 2" of this generation, Peter Bjorn & John do not seem to have a wrong way of performing this song. I've heard numerous incantations of "Young Folks", and as long as the whistle's there, it always sounds like an unforgettable moment. Lady Sovereign's "Public Warning" is a crowd mover, and might have the intensity to make the transition to the States that The Streets never entirely achieved. If "Elephant Gun" is an accurate indication of Beirut's condition, they have an eclectic enough sound to fall into the trendy acclaim earned by acts like Arcade Fire, The Decembrists, and Malajube.
It's amazing what thoughtful arrangement can mean to one's appreciation of music. Volume 2 may have more signature tracks, but Live at KEXP Volume 3 is clearly a better compilation. It's better for the listeners because you're not compelled to skip around, better for the artists because they get heard and possibly appreciated (rather than skipped), and better for KEXP because they've created a mix that has more identity and reason to purchase rather than borrow certain tracks. KEXP is a station that represents everything great about music. Support the integrity it takes (and the money it costs) to become a beacon for artists, and in return you'll receive a great disc of live music.
Tracks added to iPod: Pushover The Long Winters, Australia The Shins, Young Folks Peter Bjorn & John, Waiting for the Great Leap Forward Billy Bragg
