BY ROBIN MUMFORD OF THE INDIE PLUG
If you are anything like me, you are fed up with the current music scene – whether you are young or old, you yearn to relive the days before social media, where the Top of The Pops was filled with music that took effort – not computers.
With this illiberal ethos towards modern music, however, we become restricted to our bounded bubble of musical appetite. We often forget that there is still hope in the age of DnB dross and overly loved up pop songs. This is something that is shown through the much-anticipated release of ‘Brits & Pieces II’.
‘Brits & Pieces II’ is an exemplary compilation album that was born out of Marc Rossiter and Nick Brine’s passion to provide artists with valuable exposure. They have, as a duo, put together a work of art that proves British music is far from dead – in fact, it breeds a glimmer of hope that the British creative scene will shine once more.
Because let’s be honest here, we all wish we could go back in time to the days where ‘Beatlemania’ swept across the country, or maybe back to the years where Tolkien-inspired Jimmy Page spearheaded Led Zeppelin into their musical magnum opus. Heck, we even long to return to the days of Quadrophenia – and later, the working-class years of Britpop.
The sad news is that we will never return to those days – Unless we speed up our technological evolution and discover time travel – or maybe Virtual Reality will play a role? Anyways, the point is, we must accept what we have now because we have seen a brilliant influx of creative talent spring out of lockdown and the years before.
In Layman’s terms, ‘Brits & Pieces II’ is a carefully hand-picked playlist of today’s finest British talents in a music scene that has ebbed and flowed through lockdowns and online concerts. Marc Rossiter – of the Brits & Pieces (@britspieces) amateur 90s music fan Twitter account – elected himself for the almighty role of picking which songs and bands deserved the most recognition.
When I tried to imagine the job he undertook, I couldn’t help but think it would be like being a beer sommelier, whose job is to decipher between the different qualities of brews. That being said, I can imagine Marc’s job was a lot harder – despite the overwhelming feeling I have that San Miguel is nowhere near the quality of a Staropramen.
That’s beside the point, though, because we need to start delving into the sheer quality of the bands and artists that showcase their ingenious ability to entertain a nation in this compilation.
I could easily say a positive hundred or so words about each and every one of these artists – they simply do what they do for the love of it, and how could you not speak so highly of them? So, it is difficult for me to pinpoint particular highlights. But, having spent much of lockdown watching Megan Wyn’s live streams, where she showed her boundless potential to sing an array of covers at the same – if not better – quality of the artists themselves, I am happy to admit that I’m a big fan of Polaroid. A voice so powerful is only complemented by Megan’s limitless storytelling capabilities.
Also featuring in the compilation are Our Sound Music favourites, The Voyd – a brilliant prospect in the indie scene who opt to take on a more fast-paced environment. There are hints of the ’90s in their spirited music, bringing Britpop back to the surface while implementing their own sound to create an enjoyable listening experience. The Underclass, Northern Revelation and The Rosadocs follow the pattern of sounding so reminiscent of golden generations in British music history – yet, still finding their own sound that contrasts from each song to the next. To sound reminiscent and fresh, all in one is not an easy task – but these bands blow your socks off, literally.
A special mention must go to Revivalry, a band that boasts the impressive feat of having an average age of 14 years old. You heard that right – FOURTEEN. Their music isn’t what you’d expect either. They really come out of the blocks with rocket-fuelled speed, stomping their authority on the future of indie rock. ‘Shame on You' is an excellent way to discover more about this band that has the world at its feet and years and years ahead of them.
I love this compilation; I wish I could go in-depth on every single band and artist because they more than deserve it. They give us all hope that the British music scene is on a rose-tinted trajectory again. As I am writing this paragraph, I am still debating whether to hand out my second-ever five-star review. Instead of dwelling over it, I am just going to do it. Every band in here has given their all to resuscitate the music scene in a time of creative hardship. So, for that reason, you have all my respect. A brilliant piece of art. *****
BRITS & PIECES II is out now and can be purchased here.
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