VARIOUS ARTISTS: International Pop Overthrow - (Del-Fi)
by Claudio Sossi Shake It Up! - January 1999

Plainly put, barring a new Yellow Pills compilation, this is clearly the compilation CD of the year - a fitting description for a document of the pop event of the year.

As varied in styles as the festival itself was, this companion CD runs the gamut from straight and hard guitar pop (like Stickman's wonderful Checkout Girl) to more ambitious and fuller arrangements (as with Jiffipop's outstanding Rainbow Station - fans of Jiffipop's Demolicious take note!).   Both familiar and soon-to-be-familiar names appear on the roster here, making for the wonderful variety and approaches present.

Evelyn Forever start by delivering the solid Magic Of The Moment, with their trademark fuzzy guitar dominant throughout.   Stagefright offer You're The One, another of the more guitar heavy numbers here with a great rollicking rhythm and chorus that works wonderfully.   The always-entertaining Jennys appear with their Remarkable Similarity, exemplifying the value of a simple pulsing rhythm.   The outstanding vocal here doesn't hurt either.

The single artists that appear here betray the fact that the singer/songwriter can indeed flourish within pop's framework.   George Usher and John Moremen deliver their Begging For Rain and Together Again respectively with heart-felt conviction while displaying an impressive amount of pure arranging and writing skill.   Seeming to be a highlight on every compilation he appears on (as with his The Thought Of Your Name on Yellow Pills Vol. IV), John McMullan draws the spotlight with his Thought It Out.   The ringing guitars carry the melody beautifully and the vocal arrangement is among the most solid on the set.   Sharing the distinction with McMullan is Matt Bruno with his startling That Someone.   A lush and full arrangement come to the fore here with a hint of Spector adding to the songs evocative feel.   Ex-Caulfield John Faye shows his determination to keep making excellent music with the lovely If You Could See Me Now.   As if that isn't enough, we have the two-in-one of Nerk Twins - Jeff Murphy of Shoes-fame and Herb Eimermann - offering their adventurous Against The Grain.

Fans of Chewy Marble will relish Midtempo Trap (BPM), their offering here.   The staccato rhythm on the verses here and guitar-heavy sound throughout makes it quite distinct from much of the bands 1997 debut CD, showing that the band is content to explore and exploit new sounds.   Also, the band's knack for delivering a solid chorus remains intact.   Canada's Brown Eyed Susans demonstrate how deserving they are of carrying Jellyfish's torch with the lovely Sunday School which is probably the best thing the band has ever done - certainly the most adventurous vocally.   A more ethereal guitar sound appears on Double Naught Spies' Sonny And Cher, a great track that has it's piercing melody working wonderfully with the disjointed rhythm in the background before moving into its pure pop chorus and bridge.   Blue Cartoon appears with She's Gone, a fine pop track worthy of anything they did on their remarkable debut CD of last year.

Kerosene Hero showcase their rock-n-funk side with the cool Jenny Cam - probably the boldest rocker here thanks to a great guitar solo.   The Mind Reels come across strongly with their Anastasia, showing that they're destined to become popdom's not-so-best-kept secret any day now.   For a more garage feel, there's The Tearaways' It's A Breakdown.   The CD even features a little bit of sonic chaos as well, with The Sun Sawed In 1/2's Denny's Girl - a truly exciting pop song from start to finish that appeared on their exceptional Fizzy Lift CD last year.   To close things out, we have the lounge-vibe of Single Bullet Theory's Finding Out.

Variety is what you get here.   International Pop Overthrow serves as a compilation that will satisfy fans already familiar with the artists as well as inspire some to seek out additional material by those represented.   Hey, the world of pop is a pretty big place and the scope of this CD is equally as large.   Make no mistake, there's a place in here for you.

© Claudio Sossi