Back To Mine

Performer: Various Artists/Guillemots
Producer: Guillemots (Compilation)
Distributor: E1 Distribution (USA)

Notes: London-based pop group Guillemots man this installment of the popular mix disc series BACK TO MINE, assembling a collection of stylistically divergent tracks that reflects the group's own eclectic influences. In contrast to a lot of the BACK TO MINE discs, Guillemots' tracks don't lean toward electronica or downtempo. Instead, there's rock from Sonic Youth, the Liars, and Buffalo Springfield; classic R&B from Esther Phillips and the Supremes; jazz from Charles Mingus; and left-field oddities from Daniel Johnston, among other surprises. While the set doesn't quite hang together as at-home listening, it still provides a fun, continually surprising sonic ride. The Back to Mine series started as a way for DJs and electronica or electronica-leaning artists to compile some of their favorite late-night songs (the first volume, by Nick Warren, was released in February of 1999 and artists like Morcheeba, Faithless, Danny Tenaglia, Tricky, and Underworld have all followed suit). While it's true the Guillemots do incorporate a variety of different styles into their music, and that many previous bands didn't necessarily stick to downbeat or techno -- Audio Bullys, for example, had a particularly rock heavy set -- the Guillemots are the first true rock or pop band to put their name on the Back to Mine cover. Some of the choices on here make a lot of sense, like Joan as Police Woman's (with whom Guillemots toured) "The Ride," Liars' "The Other Side of Mt. Heart Attack," and even Sonic Youth's "Providence," but others, while they assuredly hold meaning for at least some of the members, hardly fit with the rest of the selections or the band's sound (Roots Manuva's "Witness (I Hope)" and Raphael Saadiq's "Still Ray" being the most prominent examples). All of which means that this specific installment of Back to Mine works better for someone who wants to listen to what Guillemots like, not necessarily music that sounds like Guillemots or even a particularly cohesive mix. ~ Marisa Brown

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