Want to dip your ear into the expanding pool that is alternative Irish talent without pawing blindly through a herd of EPs? Look no further than this collection of ten bands' work that has been tentatively rounded up by new label - Faction Records. Faction have created an eclectic mix for your enjoyment, starting with the high octane Red Organ Serpent Sound and their cheekily entitled 'In Search of Orgasmuz'. It's more than in keeping with their flamboyant stage show. Then the classic grunge of The Marshal Stars takes over, followed by The multifaceted Immediate. The sweet soulful groove of Republic Of Loose provides a brief reprieve from the rock and then your plunged back in with Director's almost Queens of The Stone Age sound to their track 'Last Time' (I kept getting No One Knows in my head, although that theory is almost completely dispelled upon seeing the rest of their set live). Cathy Davey's 'Cannonballs' is definitely more Breeders than Rice, while the Future Kings of Spain track somewhat lacks originality with a blatant base line from the Pixies' Doolittle track, 'Bleed', with smatterings of the Smashing Pumkins' 'Today' or something from Weezer (although this is not necessarily a bad thing). DC Pakt are just as good, if not better, live than their track 'Departure' displays, and the album ends nicely with the Blizzards' uptempo rock/pop/ska sound. The album in fact ends with Angels of Mons but you might tend to turn it off prior to their offering - it's hard to take their brand of Spinal Tapesque rock as seriously as they do. This highly recommended mix of artists, which should have every paddy beaming with pride, is available from June 17th. Also you have a chance to catch these bands live, as most are playing as part of the Faction Tour, check listings for details.
