Review: Various – You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Avant Pop

Artist: Various
Title: You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Avant Pop
Label: People In The Sky
Genre: Electro house/Electroclash
Format: CD, Digital
Buy From: Juno Records, Juno Download

London label People In The Sky present their wares on this collection which they’ve labelled Avant-Garde Pop. Thankfully, anyone expecting Stockhausen mixed with The Saturdays will be disappointed – this is a pleasantly diverse collection, right from the opening Bibio remix of Wax Stag’s “Folk Rock”. Compressed guitars, time-signature changes and crashing drums are all present and correct, and all sound tasteful and pastoral.

More conventional disco/electro-pop fodder comes courtesy of Shoreditch newbies Colouring In and Oko, both of whom are definitely names to keep an eye on. Meanwhile it’s the more freaked out tunes that really give the compilation its character; Remin’s remix of Ghostape is wonderfully glitchy and deranged, but with enough indie soul to make it catchy as hell. Plugs (side-project of Morgan from Does It Offend You, Yeah?) also have a good line in bizarre but brilliant indie, with “Downtown” combining Jesus and Mary Chain sonics with Aeroplane-style beats.

The label’s biggest guns, Friendly Fires, make an appearance with the Nightmoves remix of “On Board”, from 2007 but still a goodie. Plus there’s another stone-cold classic included, Telepathe’s “Chromes On It”, the Brooklyn duo’s head-spinningly beautiful debut.

This is an excellent primer for a growing label and a perfect tonic for anyone bored with stale and generic indie/dance crossovers.

Review: Oliver Keens