Various - Under the Bridge (LP)

Sealed. A compilation of new songs. An essential album for all fans of Sarah Records.

Bristol’s Sarah Records was a defiantly independent, seminal label which, during its short lifetime in the 1990s, created a whole scene around itself. While the label has long since closed its doors, and eschews re-releases, the bands on Sarah – or at least their members – have kept on creating perfect pop music.

Under The Bridge is an extraordinary reunion, showcasing new material by fourteen of them. Many are British, but others hail from as far afield as Sydney, Victoria, California and Arizona. There are some names you’ll recognise: The Orchids, The Wake, Even As We Speak, Secret Shine, Boyracer, St Christopher. In many cases, their line-ups are relatively unchanged.

Then, there are newer groups, where different line-ups have evolved: Jetstream Pony and The Luxembourg Signal (both ex-Aberdeen), The Catenary Wires and Tufthunter (both ex-Heavenly), Soundwire (ex-The Sweetest Ache), Leaf Mosaic (ex-Sugargliders), Sepiasound (ex-Blueboy) and Useless Users (ex-Action Painting/Secret Shine).

Time has moved on, but this coterie of ex-labelmates is making music that is as pure and as idealistic as ever. Every track on Under The Bridge is a pop gem. Some are punk rock, some are indiepop, others are dreamy swirls of fuzz. Some are gentle, some are some are full of rage, but all of them are defiantly sensitive, literate and full of DIY spirit. The bands on this compilation are flattered, maybe, that people spend serious money bidding for 7” singles of their old songs. But they are far more excited about the music they are creating today.

All the tracks on Under The Bridge are new, and most of them are previously unreleased.

Tracklist (Previous incarnations in brackets)

Side One
1 THE LUXEMBOURG SIGNAL - Travel Through Midnight (Aberdeen)
2 EVEN AS WE SPEAK - Begins Goodbye
3 LEAF MOSAIC - Bullet Train (The Sugargliders)
4 THE ORCHIDS - I Don’t Mean to Stare
5 TUFTHUNTER - Monsieur Jadis (Heavenly)
6 USELESS USERS - Wish You Well (Secret Shine, Action Painting!)
7 ST CHRISTOPHER - Stornaway

Side Two
1 SECRET SHINE Lost In The Middle
2 BOYRACER Larkin
3 JETSTREAM PONY Strood McD F.C. (Aberdeen)
4 SOUNDWIRE Another Sun (The Sweetest Ache)
5 SEPIASOUND Arcadian (Blueboy)
6 THE CATENARY WIRES Wall of Sound (Heavenly)
7 THE WAKE Stockport