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Why Do You Think They Call It Pop?

What is a Compilation? A collection of songs by a single artist or various artists! In the latter case, most people think of horrid songs thrown together without rhyme or reason! In the first case, one thinks of any "Best Of."

Today I will talk to you about a compilation made by "Pop Narcotic," a Boston-based record label long gone in the mists of the '90s, titled "Why Do You Think They Call It Pop?" a double 10-inch vinyl (yellow and pink) that contains small gems of that forgotten Pop-Rock brought back to the spotlight recently with Revival-90 bands, a carefully crafted record divided into 4 distinct sides, each side with a representative title of the songs and groups featured on it.

The first side of the vinyl is titled "Pop Side" and is indeed the most poppy side, featuring "Hot Stuff" by "Sleepyhead," "Pennysylvania" by "The Dambuilders," "Yeah!" by "Small Factory," and "Sunburned (Life's Beach)" by "Versus," the latter surely being the best, Jungle Pop choirs in a Hardcore Melodic Punk sauce even more "Melodic" than West Coast Hardcore, the first track (a cover of the Rolling Stones) is possibly the most punkish, while the second is a brief near-spoken track that recalls a mix between Nirvana and My Bloody Valentine, both stripped down, without the first's real screams and scratchy guitars, and without the second's dream and "wall of sound"; the third track, always with a driving rhythm and choirs that could recall Britpop bands.

The second side is titled "Narc Side" and features "Polvo" with the instrumental "Colonial Arms," which certainly adds luster to the entire record, the song is manic and the atmosphere quite sick, openly citing post-rock, the second track is "Sunburn" by "Monsterland," a track that openly embraces shoegaze with an added fury, this dream no longer soft and smooth, but at double speed with sudden flashes; "Leap Into My Velvet Arms" by "Wingtip Sloat" closes the side, always with post-rock references, a powerful bass at the beginning, followed by a dissonant guitar, sacrilegious drums, and spoken vocals, leading to a finale that resumes the beginning but this time with a climactic finish.

The third side is titled "Cot Side", immediately we find "Helium" with "In A Little Box," they had yet to reach those dark heights of "The Dirt Of Luck" from the following year, the song is set on a folksy rhythm, the female vocals make it seductive and the distorted guitars, often in feedback, create an almost epic atmosphere; This Alt/Pop-Rock atmosphere continues with "Let Me Go" by "Ruby Falls," the last track "Airplane" by "Twig" is the most Twee Pop, a kind of "Tiger Trap" with Britpop-style choruses; this side can certainly be defined as "Feminine."

The fourth side is titled "Tick Side", immediately there is a cover of "50 Ways To Leave Your Lover" written by Paul Simon of "Simon & Garfunkel," a very warm verse (thanks also to the voice and dominant bass) and an explosive chorus, in the finale there is space for sacrilegious feedback; "Friction->Ali Baba" is the second track by "Kudgel," a Noise-Rock track with a very hoarse voice at the edge of spoken words, with another finale rich in more corrosive feedback than the previous track (curiously, instead of listing the band members, there's a recipe for a dish called Kudgel); In my opinion, this fantastic record concludes with "Black Fuel Incinerator" by "Grifters," another great Noise piece, with vocals barely audible amidst the haze of guitars often working with artificial harmonics, in the central part you can also appreciate the bass navigating through the guitars' feedback.

Some of these groups have achieved a small niche fame, while others have disappeared in the complexity of mainstream and non-mainstream music; I have tried to give space and voice to all the bands featured on this record; it is surely a small object of a minor cult, that of an alternative pop/rock in a lo-fi sauce, which most forget because: some followed the Alternative Mainstream stories, others approached Melodic Hardcore Punk, which exploded precisely in that 1994, there was high fidelity Pop for all tastes and those who wanted to remain outside the Mainstream followed Post-Rock, Rap, or Avant-Garde Electronic! For those who want to really know well everything that the 90s left behind, I highly recommend it (if you find it), for others, just YouTube will suffice.