Various Artists
Flying Side Kick: Home Alive II
»
Various Artists
Flying Side Kick: Home Alive II
Broken Rekids, 2001
RiYL: Amy Ray, Dead Moon, charitable contributions against violence |
Like the first in the series, it features a host of artists, primarily Seattle-centric, contributing previously unreleased or seldom-heard tracks. But unlike the first album, it is not a double album. Also unlike its predecessor, Flying Sidekick has a dearth of buzz-bands-of-the-moment. In both respects, the new album makes for a more seamless listening experience.
Where 1996's Home Alive featured Seattle heavyweights like Pearl Jam, Nirvana, and Soundgarden contributing less-than-stellar "rare" tracks, the biggest marquee names on Flying Sidekick are Zen Guerrilla, Dead Moon, and Indigo Girl Amy Ray with the Butchies. While less likely to pull in thousands of frat boys across the nation, the new album works better as an actual album to listen to, rather than just to nick Pearl Jam's track for your "PJ rarities" burned-CD collection.
The record kicks off with the Gossip's blustery, Sleater-Kinney-esque "I Want It (To Write)" and lesliwood's dynamic, PJ Harvey-recalling "This Is What We Get," positing the record as a punk-grrrl-focused affair. But as it unfolds, Flying Sidekick actually gets much more diverse, starting with the Ray/Butchies track, "On Your Honor." Coming from an avowed Indigo Girls-naysayer, this track is pretty impressive, as the strong backing track and the chorus' minor-key swoon combine for a solid punch.
Sub Pop's Zen Guerrilla and the Makers each contribute uncharacteristically low-key tracks in "Crickets And The Sickle" and "Tattoo For Julie," respectively. The latter, featuring organ and guitar flourishes from local studio hogs Scott McCaughey and Peter Buck, sits right next to Maktub's neo-soul workout "Uptown Feeling" in an apt display of the album's smooth variety.
Down through Dead Moon's tiny, child-sung "Where Anything Goes," Flying Sidekick remains a solid compilation album, a way to meet new bands, and a method of contributing to the important causes of safety, anti-violence, and community cooperation. I can't think of many more worthwhile reasons to buy an album.
TROY CARPENTER | Troy Carpenter founded NATN from a Chicago apartment during the ambitious winter of 1998 with co-conspirators Ben French and Jonathan Cohen. After a five-year stint in New York, he and wife Lourdes have recently relocated to Indianapolis, where he spends days listening to music and nights in the kitchen at Elements restaurant. Musical heroes: Jimi Hendrix, Bob Marley, Super Furry Animals. What else makes life worth living: Sushi, Phucty, runs in the park, and the Atlanta Braves.