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7 out of 10
At the heart of Red Leader's free 2008 sampler are Aaron Scott and Oscar Rodriguez, who had a cult impact on the New York hardcore/emo scene when they played in De La Hoya from 1997 to 2002. There are two songs from DLH, two more from Scott's next band Marathon and then there's Scott's overly sentimental, state-of-the-nation solo project Attica! Attica! plus Rodriguez's latest band Nakatomi Plaza. Yet, they are in no way the providers of the bets music here, even if they are as much a part of the label as its Soviet Union inspired mic and sickle logo. 'Thathorates' and 'Amplifier' from DLH and 'Photosynthesis' and 'Closing Time At The Distortion Factory' by Marathon just reveal that Scott's voice can be nasal and irksome even when screaming, while Nakatomi Plaza are difficult to get a grip on as they switch from histrionic synth-emo ('Not Hopless') to crusty acoustic punk ('Finish Line').
It's another defunct band, Dear Tonight, who split up this month, that are better representatives of the label, with their muscly Minor Threat-meets-Cro-Mags hardcore. Singer Ryan spits like a young Ian MacKaye, but their rhetoric is the very opposite of their 'This Band Could Be Your Life' sound ('We're Not Men', 'You Have Too Much Faith In Us'). Fortunately, End Of A Year and Fire When Ready follow on with their own take on the sound, while gruff Massachusetts five-piece Polar Bear Club's generic post-hardcore has been tipped for success by various people in the rock press.
The two bands that should be made stars, however, are New Jersey's Scream Hello and drummerless duo The New Dress. The former deal in tough, melodic street punk along the lines of The Gaslight Anthem and Rival Schools, as well as showing a softer and dafter side on 'The Kicker' with its uplifting "la la la la" bits. While Laura Fidler and Bill Manning with The New Dress make lo-fi punk-folk with lines such as "the way to my heart is through broken ribs". They're like Times New Viking but without the hipster points, which makes them great.
Listen: www.myspace.com/redleaderrecords
Tracklist:
1. Scream Hello - Bears Come Out Tonight
2. Nakatomi Plaza - Not Hopeless
3. Dear Tonight - You Have Too Much Faith In Us
4. Polar Bear Club - Our Ballads
5. Attica! Attica! - Motion Sickness
6. The New Dress - Murderous Bugs With Giant Needle Knives
7. Fire When Ready - Who Do You Think We Are?
8. De La Hoya - Thathorates
9. End Of A Year - Bracer
10. Marathon - Photosynthesis
11. Scream Hello - The Kicker
12. The New Dress - Where Our Failures Our
13. Nakatomi Plaza - Finish Line
14. End Of A Year - Audrey Kishline
15. Attica! Attica! - A Dirge For The Underground
16. Fire When Ready - If You're All OK (Live)
17. Marathon - Closing Time At The Distortion Factory
18. Dear Tonight - Dead Boys
19. De La Hoya - Amplifier
20. Polar Bear Club - Most Miserable Life
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