Excitingly, this summer is Antiquated Future Records’ seventh birthday, and to celebrate the label are releasing The First Seven Years, a compilation that spans their releases to date. Mastered by Fred Thomas, the nineteen-song release is a celebration of the entire Antiquated Future Records roster. Today, we have the pleasure of hosting the whole thing ahead of the physical release next month.

The album opens with the pleasingly retro-sounding (and previously unreleased) ‘A Fast Ska’ by Evan Hashi’s Little Angry & The Sweets, and from there dives into the last seven years of Antiquated Future releases. From the sultry slow burn of Flying Circles to the unmistakable, oddly graceful folk of David Thomas Broughton, the compilation illustrates both the range of the Antiquated Future discography and the common thread that unites every artist, a spirit more than a sound—an unwavering dedication to make art in their own unique way. There are moments of power too, like Tucker Theodore‘s ‘Movement 9 (High Descent)’ with it’s distorted post-rock vibes, and the slow tidal rhythms of Midwife‘s ‘Angel’, Madeline Johnston’s voice grainy as though beamed from the bottom of a murky pool of static.

This variety continues across the entire compilation. The subtly euphoric crystalline dreamscape of Reighnbeau‘s ‘Gold Face’ segues into the sparkling but emotionally poignant pop gem ‘Never Finds You’ by VSF fav The Washboard Abs, a track we previously described as “quietly devastating […] forgo[ing] any sense of metaphor or allusion in favour of a brave and direct account of dealing with the serious illness of a loved one.” There’s a devotional quality to Jordan O’ Jordan‘s ‘Patience is Gruesome’, a wheezing hymn that escalates into a shrieking choir, while Sara Renberg brings wry humour that wouldn’t be out of place in a whip-smart graphic novel, and Eleanor Murray delivers a smooth and intimate folk song to close things out.

But don’t take our word for it, stream the whole thing below and find your favourite:

Design and layout by Andrew Barton at Two Plum Press

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Remember, we’re on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Tumblr, so don’t hesitate to get in touch and let you know your favourite tracks from June. Or July. Or whenever.

Tracklisting:

1) Gofer – Yucky Duster
2) The End Parts One and Two – Paper Bee
3) Pas De Deux – Brenda’s Friend
4) Mostly Homely – Exam Season
5) rosy – Long Neck
6) Cool It! – Terry vs. Tori
7) best thought – Honeyuck
8) buttery sprouts – Trace Mountains
9) Green Ennui – Flying Circles
10) Memento Mori – Jake Bellissimo
11) Same Light – Tim Lannen
12) Golden Car – Tincho
13) Can’t Take My Mind – Skyjelly
14) E.V.I.L – Medicine Boy
15) Bike Thief – Frederick Squire
16) Oh Well – Adeline Hotel
17) Offering – Loone
18) Something Profound & Meaningful – See You At Home
19) Bowl of Plums – Ben Seretan
20) Muted Colours – Chain Wallet
21) Little One – Aaron Holm
22) Fear O’ the Light – Katie Dey
23) Protracted – William Ryan Fritch
24) Dizzy – Danielle Fricke
25) Uncanny – Sister Grotto
26) Hands in Our Names – Karima Walker

The post June 2016 Roundup: A Mixtape appeared first on Various Small Flames.

Opener ‘Sleepwalker’ kicks off proceedings with a dose of helter-skelter indie pop, at times smooth and melodic, others stop-start and jerky. “Called out from the depths of sleep”, Johnson sings, “by an asking voice / I wake and gnash my teeth like a morning chorus”. Things shift more towards the dream-pop end of the spectrum on ‘Diamond Eye’, as Johnson’s vocals whip around a song that sounds electrically charged, while single ‘Dayglo Queen’ has a twilit vibe, a slinky indie pop song for neon-lit alleys, all backed up by crunchy and grumbling electronics.

“Dull eyes stare out onto empty streets
Television haunts the face with a blue glow
So you caught a sidelong glance in the mirror
Hear a voice beckoning, no reply
Follow it into the heart of an empty city
Glowing like a distant lamp on a dark night”

‘Til the World Turns Over’ is an understatedly catchy yet spiky pop song, sleeper radio hit that will probably never get the attention it deserves. It sounds perfect for the oncoming summer, with its kinda lazy shuffle which somehow propels the track forward. ‘Hidden Mountain’ slides along dreamily, punctuated by swells of instrumentation which gather and swirl and then dissipate just as quickly, before ‘Green Ennui’ rumbles and reverberates, Hashi taking over vocal duties for a while.

“Through the hole in my shirt
Past the smoldering urns
A coffee pot seeps and burns
What left me?”

‘Disaster’ has a laid back, almost tropical lilt, as Johnson’s vocals tale on an almost classic folk quality, while ‘Please Stay’ is another shambling pop song that descends into waspish guitar. The final track ‘Arachnibs’ is psych-tinged and spirals on past the seven minute barrier, all the way to its twitchy and restless extended outro.

You can download Of Loving Grace via the Flying Circles Bandcamp page, or grab a cassette from Antiquated Future Records.

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