Album Review – V4Velindre by V4Velindre Various Artists
Based on an idea by Julien Pitt (he of Armstrong sophisti-pop fame), this passion project of regular Wales Art Review contributor Kevin McGrath, is donating all proceeds of sales to a National Health Service who lost nearly 900 employees in the UK’s primary COVID-19 months of March 2020 and December 2020, as well as a to the Velindre Cancer Centre, who McGrath was a patient of in the early 2010’s.
Of course, that in itself, makes this album worthy of your patronage. This fact is plainly appreciated by the multitude of acts that have contributed fifty tracks to this superlative album. However, beyond that despite not actually being a dedicated jangle-pop album, the genre is represented in a surprisingly large number of it’s nuances.
Initially the melodic fuzz-pop, that is increasingly pervading in the genre, is superbly represented by Walter Etc (Burritos Alone), Ash Red (The Stupid Song) and Parker Woodland(The World’s On Fire (And We Still Fall In Love)), which provide a bit of grit, snarl and a sense of disparation to the prettier end of the jangle-pop spectrum, that is represented by the sumptous jangly pop-rock tracks of That Forgotten Band (Crazy Street) and Super 8 (Angels and Neil Diamond) , the sophisti-pop of Peter Hall (For Love) and the amazing jangled riff contained within the urban surf rock of the track by Eggs on Mars (Fingers & Lips).
Of course no trawl through the outer recesses of the jangle-pop genre would be complete without any jangly indie-pop / lo-fi reference points. On V4Velindre the indie-pop is provided by an act consistently championed by McGrath, in the previously unreleased demo by BOB (Who You Are), Boy Azooga (O Silly Me), whereas Somehow (While The Days Go By) twist an extra left field into the aesthetic to claim the crown as the stand out of the release. The bedroom-pop / lo-fi essence of the genre is also superbly represented by Armstrong(Yesterday’s Over (Tomorrow’s Where I Want To Be)) and Simon Love (Broken Heart).
The other absolute highlights of the album are heard in The Wedding Present‘s new ‘stripped down’ version of their classic Brassneck track, which is exclusive to this album and the ramshackle, jangle-rock single by Turin’s, Smile (Hideout).
Beyond simply the charitable concern, this album has something for everyone, especially for fans of the jangle-pop genre. So grab yourself a digital copy here.
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