You know the bands that are an amazing draw, headline multiple shows a month, and have hundreds, if not thousands of page views on their Myspace?

Yeah, these aren't them.

Hamilton: The Album is a testament to the city's lesser-known local acts, some of which you've already seen warming up the stage.

The double CD was released last night by local record label Small Biter Records. The label's founder hopes to spotlight those waiting in the wings for their chance at publicity.

"I started this project as a way to bring attention to the experimental Hamilton music scene," says Small Biter's Matthew Junkin.

"The overall idea was to get a whole bunch of bands and acts together from Hamilton and send a disc of them off to CBC Radio 3 and others to try and show off what we as a community we're doing."

Matthew sent me an advance copy of the double album, which was released at the Casbah lounge. It was a bit intimidating getting my head around it because the CD houses a myriad of different styles and artists. Each act featured has its own distinct sound and feel, ranging from soft acoustic rock to rhyme-driven hip-hop. The bands on the CD were new to me, save for a few I know through acquaintances or previous shows: Terra Lightfoot from my previous article on Rocky Saugeen makes an appearance on the second disk with her song "The Orchard."

I enjoyed the album; it caters to a variety of tastes and features a number of different genres. It would be ludicrous to go through each song and review it, so I'll just point out some that I thought stood out.

The Arkells -- "Oh the Boss is Coming": The band formerly known as Charlemagne brings a rowdy classic rock addition to the mix; one that stuck out immediately to me with its catchy riffs and pleasing vocals. Easily one of my favourite tracks on the album.

Alexei Orechin -- "The Industrial Man": A nice, long, mellow track with melodic and almost haunting piano, especially near beyond the two-and-a-half minute mark.

New Slang -- "Drop Box": The Intuitive Hypa and the GBZ are coming off of releasing their new album, "Chapter Two: The New Update", exposing the world to their intelligent brand of hip-hop. Drop Box can be considered one of their quintessential tracks, and it's evident why: the beat is catchy and the lyrics are relevant.

Sound and Fury -- "Pipe Dream": I really enjoyed this track because of the rising guitar and calm vocals. It was a nice change of pace a track after the New Slang lyrical volcano.

Matt Demers is a blogger and co-op student at the Hamilton Spectator. His site is www.cravethought.com

Matthew Junkin produced the album, and played with his band at the release show.

 

Alexei Orechin accompanied Terra Lightfoot on drums in a frenzied set.