Album Review: Dark Was The Night

Dark Was The Night by Various Artists
8.5 of 10
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During the time when I got interested in music, all I've ever listened to were recycled from my parents' and older cousins' record collection. Their music were mostly classic rock and hair metal. I had no access to new music back then. So when I heard No Alternative, a compilation album of alternative rock songs produced for RHO, it opened floodgates and introduced me to the music of bands like Soundgarden and Urge Overkill, new bands for my generation.

Now, more than 15 years since No Alternative, Dark Was The Night is breaking grounds and creating divisions, once again separating the new generation from the old. Like No Alternative, Dark Was The Night is also a compilation album of alternative rock songs produced for RHO. This time, however, instead of grungers, the album features a sterling line up of new breed of alternative rock bands and independent artists, ranging from Arcade Fire to The Nationals.

The two-disc album contains 31 songs, most of which are hits rather than a miss. One of my favorite tracks in this album is the opener "Knotty Pine", by the Dirty Projectors/David Byrne team up, a poppy and folky song that you can easily sway into. Bon Iver's contribution in this compilation, "Bracket, WI", is also a wondrous croon that I enjoyed by ear and heart. Then there's "So Far Round The Bend", a sublime acoustic-folk rock song by The Nationals.

Dark Was The Night is an excellent compilation album. It will definitely serve as a focus point to those who are just starting to explore the landscape of indie music. As No Alternative once did to me, I don't doubt if this album have already freed some kid from his older brother's rock music, and is currently downloading (legally, I hope) all the albums of either The Nationals or Sufjan Stevens. I highly recommend this album to indie music fans, or people how are inquisitive in regards to finding new music.

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