v/a Concrete Rock LP [Desert Island]

New York Indie Comp compiled by WFMU's Sydney Salk.... killer look into the young and hungry and indie bands going NOW! 

"Anything that can be said about the culture of New York City has already been clichéd to death, so why don't we just let the music speak for itself. This is the soundtrack to generator shows in Queens, tape-dubbing sessions in Brooklyn, and zine fairs in Manhattan. Community seeping out from the internet and into real life. Collective devotion for the tenets of punk, indie, and DIY culture despite all odds. Everything will change in a year's time, but on wax, the moment lasts forever."

Tracklist:

Side A 

Guyscrapers - All Day and All Night
Aswan Dam - Salary Man
Debris Bardot - Where Glimpsed Before
Chronophage - Terrorize (Epicurean Fantasy)
Suburban Speed - Jesus Leash
Van Goth - Eau d’Bedroom Dancing

Side B

CS Cleaners - G+T
The Tourniquet - Shirley Wright
Model Minority - Somersault
Badger Hunt - Bullet/Always Been This Way
Bullseye - Blue Eyes Blue

The first Desert Island Recordings release, Red Xerox, shows the development of Chicago's youth scene since the pandemic, but in New York City, things are a little more fledgling, raw, and undefined. The past few years have brought about a crop of new artists with more passion, drive, and creative spirit than has been seen in a long time. This is the catalyst for Concrete Rock, the next installment straight from the Williamsburg home of Gabe Fowler's own comic book store. In these parts, the term "youth scene" is defined more in spirit than the demographic of its participants. College kids are collaborating with local legends, and all-ages shows truly live up to their name. Contrary to poptismist belief, rock has never left NYC, you just have to know where to look. These eleven songs trace a spectrum and community, not united in sound or aesthetics, but in values. Just about every person who plays on this record contributes to the wider cause in more ways than one. These are the artists, organizers, writers, and more who make a scene run.

About a year in the making, Concrete Rock was devised by Sydney Salk (WFMU, See-Saw, Maggot Brain) out of her zine Compilation Nation. Her collection of comps from the 70s-90s informed the record's direction, with all of its tracks exclusively written or recorded for the release.