Cazart! Records You Need This Release Date : March, 2004 Label: Cazart! Records Rating: Andy doesn't dig rating stuff. I'd like to say this one's from the vault, but not really. It's one of our earliest submissions though, and unfortunately just fell by the wayside amongst all the individual band CDs. It's challenging to review a CD of this nature - a compilation with not much of a running theme besides being full of lesser-known bands, mostly centered in Canada. Much of this is Vancouver-based, where the start-up label is also situated. The founder, Chris Brandt, was part of the Universal label, of which Cazart! is now also a branch. His expertise and connections from Universal shine through, as he put together a slick compilation and threw an awesome party to launch it and the label. This party was back in March, and man, was it ever a packed-to-the-hilt schmoozefest. Sushi and cheese platters stayed cool on the patio, nachos decorated the tables inside, many drinks were consumed, and the notable faces spotted meandering through the room were just about endless. Initially, the bands on the disc served only to promote the label, and were not actually signed to it, but since then, Motion Soundtrack and Reuben have both jumped on board. The collection kicks off with the most quintessentially Vancouvery sound - the SkyTrain. The recording is part of Winston's "Long Way From The Wrong Way," off their Passengers disc (which is being re-released at the end of July through Maple Music - yet another part of the Universal family!). After Winston's slick and polished rock and roll, we hit Stellar. They have chick-fronted uber-electro rock pop. Hard hitting and danceable, it's already showcasing the album's diversity. It's cool that a big-label guy had his ear to the ground so much, not in the interest of snapping up bands, signing them, and reaping financial benefits all willy-nilly, but actually starting a project to help develop artists he's noticed and thinks we all should notice as well. We then go back to the rock with Jack Tripper, and then on to raw girly rock with the Weekend (making the hipster crowd happy). No matter what genre we get into, most of the music represented here is pretty easy to get into, fairly poppy, and able to transcend musical borders. Yeah there's hip-hop, but not so hip-hoppy that an indie kid can't get into it. Mellower rock kicks in then with Reuben (or whatever they call themselves now), and then, plunked in the middle of the CD, are Emm Gryner and Grant-Lee Phillips. Piano balladry and country. These two ensure instant credibility off the ramp and sit perfectly in the midst of all the lesser-known artists. Heading into the second half of the CD, we go back to slinky girl rock with Kristy Thirsk. You might know her voice more than her name (Delerium, Rose Chronicles), but she's been going solo around Van for yonks. We carry on into In Medias Res' spacey, raw rock music before coming to Motion Soundtrack. If you aren't familiar with them by now, shame on you. Weren't you at our launch party? Well, pay attention. You'll be glad you did. Hip-hop is represented by the wordy and smart Kia Kadiri. She's awesome, and it's great that she's on here to flaunt her genre. Then there's a US contribution from Black Angel. Its groovy soul is a good bridge between Kadiri's wordplay and the following track by Robert Wilson. We've heard about Wilson before. Go take a look at our audio player - the same track we feature there is the one you'll find on the Cazart! disc. It's a pretty and genuine love song, and likewise segues beautifully into the CD's closing track by Steve Wright. It's a gentle, acoustic lullaby about his son. In short, this is such a diverse and amazing group of songs. There's so much more to music than what Billboard and Rolling Stone tell you you should like, and this album proves it quickly and painlessly. Yeah, you really do need this. Lyric of choice : Not wanting to play faves, I'll take something fun from the liner notes : Sequencing : (name name name), champagne + orange juice. Song of choice : Not gonna play favourites here - sorry. -Andy Scheffler Elsewhere Cazart! Records website Published : July 15, 2004.