Various Artists
Album: Hidden Brighton
Label: Hiddem Trail
Tracks: 13
Website: http://www.hiddentrailrecords.co.uk/

As the curator of the Fatea Showcase Sessions, you would probably expect me to be a big fan of compilation albums and you would be absolutely right. I'm a particularly big fan when they are multi-purpose, "Hidden Brighton" has two main purposes, firstly to raise awareness of a baker's dozen of bands from around that environ and secondly to raise funds for Grace Eyre, a charity supporting people with learning disabilities from the same conurbation. I guess you could also count a third if "Hidden Brighton" helps raise the profile of Hidden Trail Records the newly formed indie that put the release together.

"Hidden Brighton" is a real collective effort with skills being monopolised where they can, for example as well as having a track on the album, "A Word To The Wise", Ellie Ford also took on the artwork and design.

As you would expect from an album that highlights the hidden talent from a creative metropolis like Brighton, there's not a single duff track across the release, though if I did have one minor criticism and it is a minor one, I would suggest that the net has been cast a little too wide and whilst the album makes sense from beginning to end, some listeners might not feel comfortable with the whole.

That said the journey through the album has been arranged with real consideration, you never know quite what's going to be around the corner, just that it will make sense in the context of the song that precedes it, never an easy job.

In overall feel the album drifts towards the indie side of things, but in all honesty that's where the underground sits most comfortably though the thing that really struck me about "Hidden Brighton" is the strength of the songs right across the board.

I'm not going to go through all the tracks individually or to name favourites, I'm just going to suggest you check out the compilation, remember it's for a good cause and check out the artists listed below and maybe a gig or two if you happen to find yourself in Sussex.

Kill Moon:Shine
Hella Better Dancer:Sleep Talking
The Raving Beauties:Arrows
Flash Bang Band:Thinking Above My Station
The Standard Lamps:the Cracks
The Self Help Group:Kings
The Hundredth Anniversary:last Drive
Woodland Blue:Seventeen
Fiona Sally Miller:Chalk It Up
Ellie Ford:A Word To The Wise
tiNhearT:A million winterS
Kokopelli:How To Be
Us Baby Bear Bones:Swamp

Neil King