Various Artists - Music From the OC: Mix 6

OK, I’ll admit it: I chose to review Music from the OC: Mix 6 just so I could have something to poke fun at. I anticipated a bunch of bland and uninspired tracks from a bunch of bland and uninspired bands. What I got was a cover album. That’s right, Mix 6 spotlights a number of bands covering popular and/or influential tracks from the alt/indie rock canon, which guaranteed it would be an interesting listen nonetheless. The album opens with Goldspot reworking Modest Mouse’s hit “Float On” into a sunny pop song, which isn’t as bad as it sounds. In the next track, Rock Kills Kid turns in a boring cover of Spoon’s “I Turn My Camera On.” Remember Lady Sovereign? The female UK rapper who was supposed to have been the next big thing? You do? OK, she does a cover of The Sex Pistols “Pretty Vacant,” which I can see in a twisted sort of way, but honestly, does she need to remind us on every single song that she’s Lady Sovereign? It might be fine for the first song, but after about eight or nine, we have a good idea of who you are, so if you could lay off the name checking, we would greatly appreciate it. Other noteworthy covers include Mates of States’ reading of The OC theme “California” and John Paul White’s cover of ELO’s “Cant Get It Out of My Head.” White gives the song a great sense of melancholy, even if it borderlines on being overly melodramatic. Also check out Rogue Wave’s rendering of The Pixies “Debaser,” a song Kurt Cobain once said he reworked into “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” So did I find plenty to make fun of on this album? Sure did, but at the same time I found some pleasant surprises. The OC finished up its run, so I highly doubt anymore mixes will be issued. If that’s the case, they certainly picked an interesting experiment to finish with. [www.musicfromtheoc.com]