J-Sin @ Smother.net
Chad King’s “Tonight with Lines” somberly opens this great compilation from KEEP Recordings. Before Braille’s “Waiting on Dad & Muscle Relaxers” are the lo-fi acoustic rock answer to everyone’s burning question of the overall progression of the world of music. Panty Lions’s brand of neo-acoustic folk show a disdain for traditional melodies in favor of off-key ones. “Leak” by Ra is an example of electronic indie rock that has been perfected by the folks at Acuarela Discos in Spain. It’s this type of off-the-beaten-path melancholy folk and lo-fi DIY spirit that permeates this entire collection. Perfect.



Brad Rose @ Foxy Digitalis
Tucson, AZ based Keep Recordings would be intriguing on its own just with their excellent handmade packaging. Each release is a work of art before you even get to the music. Of course, once you actually spin the disc, you'll soon realize the packaging isn't the best part. Keep's first two recordings were both homeruns, and their debut compilation, "Keepsake," is no exception. With 14 tracks total (11 of which are previously unreleased), this is a great introduction to the label and a number of artists you're likely unfamiliar with.

I'm not sure how to really review compilations, so bear with me here.

I first must talk about Panty Lions. I love the name, Panty Lions. I have no idea why I think their moniker is so great, but it's my favorite band name I've heard in a while. Thank god they live up to their fabulous name. "Hottub, CA" is a simple, slightly silly song. "Welcome to Hottub California. Population just us two," it begins. The slowly ascending bassline gives this song a lazy, SoCal feel. I enjoy this song entirely too much.

Seattle's most underrated band, Carissa's Wierd (sic), and their contribution is the worth the price of admission alone. Cover songs are usually either hit or miss, but CW nail it with their cover of the awful Avril Lavigne song "Complicated." You know, it's not so bad when done this way. It was a sad day when CW called it quits, but it's always a pleasure to get a posthumous offering.

I was originally drawn to Keep because of the Tony Moreno album they put out, and his track here does not disappoint. Moreno is quickly becoming one of my favorite artists. This muted, enchanting affair features him singing in a quiet whisper over delicate guitars and shimmering chimes. This guy is insanely talented and won't be overlooked much longer. His band, Norfolk & Western, happen to be one of the best around and he's a big reason why.

Say Hi To Your Mom may have an awful name, but their contribution, "Blizzard," is excellent. It brings back vivid memories of driving around in my high school best friend's car listening to Seam. This falls somewhere in between early Sunny Day Real Estate and the aforementioned Seam.

Tape hiss on Wally Pear's "For Crystal" gets in the way of a really wonderful song. "I wish I could reservoir your tears" is such a great line, and his high-pitched, goofy-sounding voice is the perfect accompaniment to the loose acoustic guitar strums. It's followed by a live version of "Lights Out" by Asahi, a band I was previously unfamiliar with. It features sultry female vocals, and sounds like its being played in a smoke-filled bar with mahogany tables and a distressed floor rather than in the sterile confines of Seattle's KEXP radio station.

Other highlights include RA's piano drenched, loop-filled "Leak" which is like Four Tet lite. Also, after Eluvium's excellent album last year, it was great to hear a new track of theirs ("Swallows In the Bath"). There really isn't a weak track on the album and that's impressive.

The reason this compilation is so great, though, is how it flows. Sequencing is always extremely important, but it's magnified on a compilation. It brings clarity to the album. If you've never put together a record, you probably don't realize how big a task this is, but it can make the difference between a good album and a great one. I only have one real complaint and it's that three of the best tracks here (Say Hi To Your Mom, RA, & Some By Sea) are previously released. It's not a major complaint since I was unfamiliar with all three artists prior to this compilation, but I've long held that compilations should be exclusive engagements. My silly beliefs aside, this is one of the best compilations I've heard in years. Keep Recordings is quietly making a name for themselves in the brisk Arizona heat.



Jeff Marsh @ Delusions of Adequacy
The third release from the predominantly CD-R niche label KEEP Recordings is appropriately named Keepsake. Like the other releases on the label, this one is extremely limited (100 copies, while the other albums are set at 50), hand-numbered, and beautifully put together. The idea, see, is that these releases are more than just CDs, they’re keepsakes. And with a significant portion of the tracks previously unreleased, this compilation of laid-back indie rock more than lives up to its name.

The album starts with Chad King’s gorgeous slow-core melancholy of “Tonight with Lines” and proceeds to my favorite track here, “Blizzard” by the unfortunately named Say Hi to Your Mom. This track, a wonderful melodic song filled with gorgeous guitar lines, brushed drums, and passionate yet hushed vocals, is the best I’ve heard from this band and the best on this album, although it was previously released. ”Circles” by This Busy Monster is another highlight, featuring fantastic acoustic guitar and a nice mellow style. I’m amazed Asahi’s “Lights Out” was recorded live, as this low-key, piano-led track is another highlight.

Tony Moreno contributes a track that’s more of a song than the sound collages on his recently released full-length. The long, electronic “Leak” by Ra is a nicely moody mixture of styles, and the lo-fi indie-rock band Carissa’s Wierd doing an Avril Lavigne cover, “Complicated,” live is a surprisingly brilliant contribution. The eight-minute ultra-mellow and subtle instrumental “Swallows in the Bath” by Eluvium is an inspired choice for a closer.

As is to be expected with a compilation, not every song can be a winner. Although I like Before Braille, “Waiting on Dad & Muscle Relaxers” is too laid back with mumbled vocals. The Panty Lions’ “Hottub, CA” is rather cute, but ultimately grating to my taste (although others have found it the album’s highlight). And Wally Pear’s extremely lo-fi, home-recorded “For Crystal” is a nice song, but it feels a tad out of place here.

The best compilations introduce you to new artists you have to seek out, and this one certainly qualifies. Keep has achieved its goal with Keepsake, making the kind of album you’d want to feature in your collection. It satisfies the senses of sight and touch as well as sound. And, most importantly, it features 14 songs, many of which you’ll only hear here, by some incredible bands.



Jon Rooney @ Blue Mag
Keepsake is a compilation from Keep Recordings, an emerging label that issues a limited number of handmade copies of each release. Like any good comp, there's both a unifying musical tread linking all of the acts and ample sonic variety from artist to artist. All of the songs convey a sense of hushed intimacy and wear a vague tinge of Americana that at times evokes elements of midwestern earnestness, ghosts of the American South, and Gram Parsons-esque Southern Californian easiness. The CD opens with Chad King's sleepy, elegant "Tonight With Lines", clocking in at just under two minutes of folky slowcore. The heady mellow continues with songs by Say Hi To Your Mom, Before Braille, and Sin Ropas, whose singer has a glorious mumble a la Mark Kozelek or J Mascis. The Panty Lions rock like a twee Pavement b-side on "Hottub, CA" and RA adds drum machines and white noise to the spacey, ambient "Leak". The late, much lamented Seattle indie-pop band Carissa's Wierd contribute a cover of Avril Lavigne's mega hit "Complicated" recorded at their farewell show that is wholly enjoyable (much like Built To Spill's cover of Macy Gray's "I Try" that was floating around on P2P networks). The album stays strong through tracks by Some By Sea, Everybody Uh Oh, and Eluvium whose slow-treading dirge, "Shallows In The Bath", closes the disk. Keepsake's crowned jewel may be Asahi's beautiful "Light's Out", which borrows the feel from Neil Young's "Helpless" and Three Mile Pilot's "Worry" while inexplicably chanelling both Jeff Buckley and Emmy Lou Harris. All in under four mintues.



Joseph @ Mundane Sounds
This is a collection of fourteen songs from limited edition-minded KEEP Recordings. This little Arizona label has decided to sacrifice quantity for quality, offering up unique, interesting and beautiful records at a budget. Keepsake features a few acts you might have heard of - Sin Ropas, This Busy Monster, Carissa's Wierd (who offer up a funny yet surprisingly sincere cover of Avril Lavigne's "Complicated") and Eluvium--but most of these artists are unknown. Though the styles found on Keepsake goes from acoustic folk to electronica to indie rock, the songs themselves are all extremely mellow. Highlights include the dark electronica soundscape "Leak" by Ra and the poppy brilliance of Everybody Uh-Oh's "All of the Time." All in all a great little sampler for a grey rainy day--but you better hurry, it's limited and the first pressing's already sold out!



Matt Dornan @ Comes with a Smile
Issue #15: SUMMER 2004
Keepsake brings together fourteen tracks from a diverse array of artists, eleven unique to this release. From the accessible to the abstract, the compilation emphasises Keep's leaning toward lo-fi, off-kilter pop music, with songs that have a melodic heart, however altered the blood coursing through it.