Album Review – Damnably Famnably, 14th Birthday FREE Compilation by the Damnably label (2020) (Damnably)
At some point in the recent past, South East Asian jangle / fuzz / dream-pop became ridiculously cool. However, before London based Damnably became the undisputed main role player in making the regions’ music so ‘suddenly’ cool, it was busy for 14 years doung so !!! This free digital download celebrates that journey perfectly.
Naturally the album shows exactly all that is wonderful about the Damnably family we have grown to love. Ranging from the frenetic pop punk of acts like Otoboke Beaver, Drinking Boys and Girls Choir and David Boring, all the way through to the definitive lo-fi machinations Cindy Someone and Capt. Lovelace, there is unlikely to be another label that visits so many different musical nuances, but still manages to keep a sense of their own typical identity.
In between the above musical opposites, there are visits to all manner of the best musical outposts in between. These range from the definitive surf rock, jangle-pop and jangly twee of Say Sue Me, the simply sublime Small Gang, Yucca, Grrrl Gang and Hazy Sour Cherry, that are nestled in between the more fuzz laden inclinations of acts such as Wussy, Yuki Kawana and Dogstar.
Essentially this is the perfect illustration of the sheer perfections of one of the best labels out there. Happy birthday Damnably and here’s to the next 14 years of similar brilliance !!!