V/A – Craufurd Arms: MMXX Vol. 1.

2020 was rough for everyone. Pandemic and constant quarantine spoiled or permanently harmed public spaces, venues, practice rooms and forced many of them to close their doors. These actions caused many artists, and bands to call it quits and seek happiness in other professions. 2021 doesn’t look any brighter, and staff that works in the music industry continuously seeks alternatives to promote venues and artists in the best possible way. The Craufurd Arms is one of those venues that took the action of promoting the artists who previously performed on their stage. This Victorian-styled pub decided to put out a compilation that includes sixteen compositions by various artists who performed in the previous years. Craufurd Arms became instant fans of their music, mainly because of the high quality showcased by each artist or group. Therefore, they wanted to share their talent with the rest of the world through this compilation album.

This particular compilation represents the first installation in the series of compilations, available both physically and digitally. It traverses the genres such as alternative pop, alternative rock, indie pop, indie rock, grunge, punk rock, math rock, stoner, darkwave, goth rock, disco, and electronica. The list of artists is utterly impressive. You’ll solely enjoy tunes by artists such as Cusp, Phantom Isle, JJ Moon, The Comms, Naked Next Door, Weird Milk, Low Girl, So So Sun, Sarpa Salpa, Our Man in The Bronze Age, Harvey Dormer, Enjoyable Listens, The Mezz, Ethan Schencks, Torus, and Tragic. Each artist shines bright with outstanding ideas, exquisite musicianship, and top-notch quality. The diversity of the music styles offers countless hours of enjoyment in these thoughtfully arranged tunes. Even if you’re not a fan of some of the abovementioned genres, you’ll pleasantly surprised how these compositions are carefully assembled to satisfy even the pickiest listeners.

No matter if you’re looking out for some calmy indie rock music, gentle indie-pop tunes, or energetic punk rock, there’s no even the slightest doubt in my mind you will find something for yourself at this comprehensive collection of ear-appealing numbers. It’s nearly mindblowing how the alternative rock intervenes with disco or indie-pop transits into nearly post-punk tune. Then you’ll have another dosage of pop-rock that transits into a song with a minimalistic approach to alter-pop. The best part about this compilation is that you will crave for more after the first spinning. Then you will find yourself continuously spinning this compilation countless times. Each artist has the qualities of the greatest artists in the music business, and their ideas, song structures, and arrangements are nearly mindblowing.

Craufurd Arms: MMXX Vol. 1. comes on a compact disc, but it is also available at streaming services such as Bandcamp. Head over to the Craufurd Arms Bigcartel store for more information about ordering.