KOLLABARIS

A really interesting idea to compile some of the best tracks that members of THE LEGENDARY PINK DOTS have performed on from other bands or solo artists over the years, mostly the 90's. We do get two previously unreleased LPD tracks here though but over half of this record is made up of THE TEAR GARDEN songs also all previously unreleased and my favourite songs on here by the way.

For the re-issue that I happen to have they decided for artistic merit to go from ten tracks to three tracks. For the sake of "the flow" apparently so the opening track is 31 minutes long and contains five songs. The last four songs are twelve minutes and combined into one track, the closer. The only stand alone song is "Super" by LPD and as it says in the liner notes this is "a hommage to the mighty NEU!" and deserved that stand alone treatment. It is a high energy, uptempo piece as you'd might imagine. We get single songs from ARTWORK, KAROLINEK, LYDIA TOMKIW and MIMIR.

"Bring The Rain" from ARTWORK is such a sad song with Ka-Spel, Hoornblower and Silverman contributing to this German band's song. The next one by KAROLINEK is a haunting soundscape before the next three THE TEAR GARDEN tracks worth 24 minutes to end track one(I know). The final track begins with LYDIA TOMKIW an American poet and song writer. She speaks the words as we get this spacey atmosphere. It was cool the first few times but this is my least favourite.

The MIMIR track "Catchy Tune" is a distant sounding, unstructured soundscape. Again THE TEAR GARDEN tracks are my favourites and I like how this compilation album is like an LPD record in that we get electronics, soundscape music, ballads, sad lyrics and so on. I rarely give 4 stars to these compilations recordings but this one is special and it fits right in with my LPD albums.