List | V/A | 'Shot v3.1' CD 1997

'An October Compilation'

Track:	Name:	Artist:	Time:
1.	My Broken Heart Dance Version	Forbidden Colours	4:24
2.	Happy Endings II: The Sequel	Statemachine	4:25
3.	Efemeris Club The Seal Mix	Children Within	4:30
4.	Off The Wall Some Day Edit	Kiethevez	4:01
5.	Sweetest Girl	Laura Effect	5:58
6.	Come Euphoria	Sombre View	4:10
7.	Endure	Estrange	3:41
8.	Heavenly Apparition	Forbidden Colours	4:27
9.	My Despite	Laura Effect	4:46
10.	Relief	Children Within	4:24
11.	In My Eye So Close Version	Kiethevez	4:57
12.	Where The Grass Grows Greener	Sombre View	3:54
13.	Undone	Vision System	4:13
14.	Computer Analysis My Analyst Says...	Statemachine	8:10
	Total		66:06

Comments:

A new compilation from October, continuing in the style of Shot v2.0. This one however has an over-all more professional feel, which might not be very surprising but very welcome. All the bands of v2.0 seem to have matured a bit, and two new bands have been added, one of which being my new favourites Statemachine. Unfortunately, my two favourite bands of v2.0, Estrange and Vision System, only contributes with one song each, both of which I have on their other releases. No new material from them. Oh well, on to the review:

Track 1 is, as the title states, intended for dance. Sounds like synth disco to me. Not exactly Eurodisco, but more like disco-fied synthpop with a simplistic Eurodisco synth line. Sounds a bit like what little I've heard of the new De/Vision (post Unversed In Love). Catchy and poppy, but not exactly my kind of music. I don't really know much about this band, but to my ears the singer sounds like a German.

Statemachine follows that with the single remix of this great tune. Since I've already worded on that I won't repeat myself in vain.

Is this really Children Within on track 3? The vocals are a lot better than before, which is a more than welcome improvement. Still not perfect, but a lot better. However, the music seems a bit more generic now, not unlike the previously mentioned Forbidden Colours track. Smoother, but less interesting. Are they still the same bunch of guys or did they replace the singer? The pic on the sleeve indicates no such thing, but it doesn't seem too unlikely with the big difference in vocal and musical style.

It's good to hear from Kiethevez again. This time it's a slow ballad which I've really come to like. Coinciding with my purchase of this compilation I got their latest single, which had this song with Swedish lyrics, which could explain why I've listened to it rather a lot lately. I have to compare the two :-)

Track 5 shows a more mature Laura Effect; I'm still not crazy about the vocals, but everything about this track seems more professional than before. I guess I'm a sucker for this kind of slow-ish drumloop type beat over an acidy bassline, but it works really well with the tune. Probably the best they've done so far IMHO. Nice to see they're evolving.

Sombre View continues with their grand orchestra-type pompous synth pop, here with the occasional inclusion of a screaming guitar as well. I haven't really heard much else that sound like this, so it's nice they're doing their own thing. They seem to get better at it. On the downside though are the male vocals. Still too thin and whiney for my taste. The angelic female vocals really fit the music well, perhaps better than before. And, is it just me or is the snare drum a bit too sluggish? It seems to be a bit off-the-beat.

Not much to say about this nice and catchy Estrange track, since it's directly off the album. Instead, on to track 8, which is rather similar to the first track by this band. Perhaps this one is a bit less disco-ish, most likely due to the less dance-ified beat and the slow swooshy space-strings and the (fortunate) lack of that Euro synth lead. I like this one more, but the vocals still bug me a bit. Come to think of it, this track sounds more like one of those generic American synth pop bands I never can seem to tell apart.

More Laura Effect; this sounds less professional than track 5, and more like 'Flower In The Rain' from the Comes With Love CDM. Blippy and bouncy, catchy tune, but unfortunately lacking the much needed vocal strength.

Is this really Children Within? It doesn't sound much like (what I've heard of) their previous material, nor like their other track on this compilation. It's a slow ballade-type song, with rather soft vocals and general laid back feeling. I can't say I like it that much, but at least it's better than what they did before. It's too soft and 'sweet' for me, and the Swedish pronounciation is more apparent than on track 3 (but a lot better than their old stuff!). I guess CW have evolved quite a bit, but they're still not my kind of band.

Kiethevez, on the other hand, is. Track 11 is a more upbeat song than the ballad, but it's still rather relaxed and mellow. Not exactly what I'd expect from these guys, but still quite good.

Track 12 show the more Cure-ish side of Sombre View, but it's not a Cure rip-off, more like some parts of the song seems inspired by a few Cure songs. The big orchestra sounds of track 6 have been turned down and the chorus is catchier; this is more of a pop song. I like it.

Vision System are quite a lot more professional here than on Shot v2.0, but they haven't lost their dark atmosphere. This is a great track, taken directly off their Promise.EP. A pity there's nothing new from these two guys.

To end this compilation is a long remix from Statemachine, but it's by no means the average boring 'extended version' (have Statemachine ever done a 'standard' remix?). This already excellent track has been reworked a great deal, stripped of much of the vocals and some of the sounds, with new sounds and rhythms here and there, giving it an even more slow and desolate feeling. I love it. This is one of those tunes that really send chills down my spine, and not a lot of tunes do that.

In conclusion, this is a better CD than Shot v2.0, mostly due to the fact that the bands have progressed and evolved, matured. In general the vocals are better (a much needed improvement) but for some bands there's still work to be done here. My favourite tracks on this CD has to be the last one and the Vision System track I already had. Kiethevez was also great with that ballad. I'll be looking forward to new material from these three bands. Extra points to Sombre View and Laura Effect for taking a path more to my liking, and to Children Within for the improvement where it was most needed. Newcomers Forbidden Colours seemed a bit too generic for my taste, but they might find their own style with time (perhaps in time for the next Shot compilation?).

I'll end this little review with a wish list: I want a full-length album from Vision System, more spooky remixes from Statemachine as well as new material, a new Kietehvez album, new Estrange stuff... well you get the point. More of the good stuff.

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