September 21, 2007
Various Artists: 'There Is Only One “T” In Wichita'
'In keeping with their indie ethics, they’re selling this compilation for less than a fiver'
8 / 10
In 1999, Creation Records was absolutely fucked, gone rotten after the Britpop boom its flagship band Oasis had ushered in had faded ignobly. Two Creation employees, Dick Green and Mark Bowen, decided they weren’t going down with the ship. They imagined a new label, signed a tremble-voiced cherub from Omaha named Bright Eyes, and the rest is... well, it’s right here.
A compilation celebrating seven years of existence, ‘...Only One T...’ suggests that while Wichita haven’t yet found their Oasis, they boast a breadth and imagination Creation never had. And in keeping with their indie ethics, they’re selling this compilation for less than a fiver and are allowing fans to burn the record on to their mp3 players in whatever order they want. Result!
If you haven’t heard of the label, you’ll have certainly have heard of their biggest British bands, Bloc Party and The Cribs. Both these groups’ spirit illustrates best what the label’s about, and have donated pretty decent tracks to its birthday party. Bloc Party’s track is an exclusive of sorts – a thumping remix of old single ‘Hunting For Witches’ courtesy of the mysteriously named Dave P & Adam Sparkle, while the Jarmans have given ‘Girls Like Mystery’, which, if for some unknown reason you haven’t had the chance to hear new album, ‘Men’s Needs, Women’s Needs, Whatever’, is a good a place as any to start.
But the real delights come from the ones who have been plugging away on the label, some for the full seven years. Here we have: twinkle-toed Welsh twee (Euros Childs’ ‘Outside My Window’ and Los Campesinos!’s ‘We Throw Parties, You Throw Knives’), ass-kicking hardcore with sly pop acumen (The Blood Brothers and The Bronx) and extremely awesome Brooklyn art-punk heroes Les Savy Fav, who donate ‘Raging In The Plague Ages’, which should be rocking holes in your speakers right about… now!
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