Various Artists - The Nail V.2

Seattle-based indie label Tooth & Nail Records’ compilation disc, The Nail V.2 features a few of today’s best bands, such as Mae, Further Seems Forever, and mewithoutYou. There are titles on the disc that carry the record to great heights, and then again, there are minor disturbances that turned my listening sessions into a strange game of track dodging. For instance, there is Hawk Nelson’s tune “California.” Exactly how many times will bands write about spontaneous moves to California to live happily ever after? The lyrics are very weak and overall it just felt like a lame theme song to another show about rich beach kids trying to make their lives meaningful. On we move to Further Seems Forever, with a little tune they call “Someone You Know.” I’ve never been able to put my finger on the exact reason I love this band, but I believe it’s something to do with their ability to let their music tell a story without those wonderfully, well-thought lyrics in-sight. Good for you; this tune brings a fantastic lyrical experience. You can sense that they put a tremendous amount of energy and emotion into their talent. The whole quality of the record dips and weaves like a musical roller coaster, and the cars climb higher with decent tunes like Dead Poetic’s “New Medicines,” Aaron Sprinkle’s “Really Something,” a peculiar and fairly dark “Gentlemen,” introduced to us by mewithoutYou, and an incredibly interesting Joy Electric tune titled “Song For All Time” that brings to mind all sorts of bubbly robotic characters floating on digital notes through space and time—at least to my mind. Nevertheless, we have Thousand Foot Krutch and their “Rawkfist.” Now, I’m not one to complain about a band that brings the rock, but was this false advertisement? They really rock-rapped their way through this one, folks, and it was about as convincing as a How-To Rock manual written by a polka singer. Ahem. Yes, I found it to be just that mind-numbing. Nevertheless, Fighting Jacks completes the disc and brings this ride to a close-most-suitably with “Fairwell Senator.” The Nail V.2 starts a bit hesitant and lags in some areas. At least the whole time wasn’t spent wondering was I there yet. [www.toothandnail.com]