Dead Bird Compilation The Third (Atticus - Dragging The Lake Vol.3)

Member Name: rleigh

Product:	Atticus - Dragging The Lake Vol.3
Date:	19/04/08 (41 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Some strong tracks on display here from a variety of excellent bands.

Disadvantages: A couple of the tracks here are deeply disappointing.

Atticus is a clothing label which was set up in 2001 by former Blink 182 members Mark Hoppus and Tom Delonge. In 2002 the clothing label began its foray into the music world with the compilation album 'Dragging The Lake'. A second compilation was released in 2003 and the third then emerged in 2005. No further compilations have been released since this, it is however an excellent compilation of music from the clothing label best known for its logo which depicts a bird on its back. The name Atticus was taken from the father of the main character in the book 'To Kill A Mocking Bird'; 'Atticus Finch', and the logo is meant as a pictorial representation of the book. 'Dragging The Lake III' showcases up and coming artists as well as the already established, a fine album comprising of a grand total of twenty four tracks.

This compilation includes Blink 182's 'Not Now' which was previously only available online and I really love this track - it truly is a fine Blink track and shows the band at its very best. It is full of energy, fun and the general excitement that I had always come to expect from the band over the years. It's a really cool track, well worth checking out if you've not yet heard it. Blink 182 may have split up in 2005, their music lives on however and always I feel that the sound this band created was greatly impressive. It was a fine decision to include this Blink 182 track on the 'Dragging The Lake III' compilation I feel; it most certainly adds to the overall excellence of this release and is quite possibly one of the finest tracks that Blink 182 ever recorded as a band.

Other highlights on this CD include Funeral For A Friend's incredible 'She Drove Me To Daytime Television', an acoustic track from pop punk legends MxPx in the form of 'Grey Skies Turn Blue,' and Mae's fantastic track 'This Time Is The Last Time' also. I was particularly excited by the Mae track on display here - this band truly is a strong talent, before hearing this compilation however I had never before heard Mae. I had heard of the band but never actually listened to the music, and that's the great thing about compilation releases of this sort; they draw your attention to bands that you were previously not aware of the excellence of. I've seen this band live several times now and never has the music disappointed me in the slightest, Mae truly is a remarkable band and all of the albums to have been released to date have been greatly enjoyable.

There are a grand total of 24 tracks on display with this compilation, and only a very few that aren't worth listening to (the Taking Back Sunday, Fall Out Boy, and Motion City Soundtrack songs spring to mind). Other than that, this is a pretty amazing compilation CD and features a strong list of established bands such as Blink 182, Alexisonfire, MxPx, Funeral For A Friend, and even Death Cab For Cutie. It is a fine display of talent, and once again the clothing company here did well in putting together an incredibly fine compilation of music. It's a strong release and there are plenty of excellent tracks here, the Atticus clothing label should really put together another compilation album I feel; all three of the compilations that the label has released have been excellent and always the music has had plenty to offer. It's rare to find a strong compilation album I feel, generally these releases can be extremely hit and miss; more often than not however 'Dragging The Lake III' is excellent and the music on display here is hugely impressive.


Label: Side One Dummy Records
Release Date: 22nd February 2005

Originally posted by me on my website Alt-UK.com
Source: http://www.alt-uk.com/modules.php?name=Reviews

Summary: 'Dragging The Lake III' is a strong compilation release from the Atticus clothing label.