In case you didn't know it LTM has quite quickly become a very excellent record label. As far as documenting historical scenes, they have very few equals and are bettered only by such excellent labels as Sundazed, Bear Family, and Rhino. Considering that those labels don't touch the experimental new wave/independent British music scene of the 1980s, LTM really fills a void for the collector-types out there. They've released nothing that's ever been anything less than extremely obscure, and their packaging is top-notch, loaded with historical information and an amazing amount of unreleased tracks. They've even branched out into two other labels--CD41, which focuses on British culture and history, pre-1945, with an emphasis on World War One, as well as Boutique, which focuses on odder, more experimental records, such as Crawling Chaos and Royal Family & The Poor.
Black Music is a wonderful little sampler that documents not only LTM's wonderful past, but it also gives hints of what's coming soon. It's a good thing, too, as they've released a TON of records, and the release flow isn't about to let up, and if you're curious, then Black Music is the place to start. It's really a companion piece to their last sampler, The Night Watch. As it focuses on the releases that came after The Night Watch, you're really getting a great taste of the releases from the past year and a half.
And what wonderful songs, too! It's a head-scratching mystery why some of these bands never broke out of total and utter obscurity, because their music still sounds fresh. While it's true that "dated" might be an appropriate adjective to describe some of the music that LTM releases, almost none of the songs on Black Watch could be dismissed as dated. Blue Orchids' "Lover of Nothing," Department S's "Going Left Right," and "Biting Tongues' "Love Out" (which sounds remarkably like an outtake from the Eurythmics' 1984 score) all sound like they coulda been/shoulda been beloved hits of the 80s and 90s. Instead, they're left to languish in the dustbin of obscurity--but thank goodness LTM has dusted 'em off!
LTM have also lovingly added a few unreleased nuggets--surprising, too, seeing how thorough their regular releases are. Luckily, these tracks aren't sloppy second-rate best-left-unreleased songs, either. Some of the songs are new recordings, such as Section 25's "Part Primitiv" and Cath Carroll's rerecording of "True Crime Motel," Crispy Ambulance offer up a remix of "Step Up!", The Wake's "Town of 85 Lights" and Artery's "Afterwards" are alternate versions of previously released tracks, and Ultramarine's "The Place" The Royal Family and The Poor's "Liber OV" and Ludus' "Rosa Luxemburg" offer vintage unreleased tracks. Also included is a bonus disc of live performances from Crispy Ambulance's 2002 US tour.
All in all, Black Music is a wonderful document from a label that is quickly becoming essential. Black Music has plenty of music that you've never heard, and even if you've heard half of the songs on here, you've probably not heard the other half. Thanks to James Nice for taking the time and a vow of poverty to save these artists from obscurity--and you from Ebay!
--Joseph Kyle
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