The old five-point scale has been retired in favor of just rating stuff 1-10, which allows me a much more nuanced final rating. Still don't take it that seriously. Most of these come from my own collection, so the grades skew rather high. Your results may vary if you send me stuff to review.

Each album is given three Essential tracks, my personal favorites, regardless of how weird and inconsequential they are. The Quintessential pick is the one I think best represents the album as a whole, so you can try one song instead of a whole album of songs. Non-Essential picks range from merely disappointing to outright unlistenable.

Various Artists

[#] The Fold Compilation (2003)

29 tracks of weird rock abandon.

Reviewed October 4, 2020

(This is an album that was previously covered on the Rediscovering! Click the link in the table to read a wordier and possibly less accurate version of my feelings on this album.)

What an absolute time capsule of 2000s indie rock goodness this is! The Fold is the booking company of the ever-eccentric Scott Sterling, known for bringing bands like Metric, Elliott Smith, and The Breeders to Los Angeles bars, dives, and lounges since the late 90s. The Fold Compilation captures a few bands five minutes prior to being famous, and many more who never quite broke through. Split into one disc cloudy and one disc warped, the almost two hours of semi-obscure to downright forgotten indie bands, folk performers, and the occasional yeehaw man on here makes for a listen you definitely do not want to undertake in a single go. This set is best taken like a rich, complex Belgian tripel—sip it, take in all the different flavors, and see what grabs you about it.

On the highlights, you'll want to check out the smokestack drone of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club's "Loaded Gun", the ever-bouncy synthpop Metric lays out on their demo of "The List", the spine-shivering wails on Devics' dramatic "You in the Glass", Devendra Banhart's fried four-tracker absurdist Spanish ballad "Cada Casa Que Crece", John Gold's excellent, excellent somber soulful rumination "Fade to Blue", and "My Philosophy", Inner's attempt at marrying tribal drums and "I Stay Away" harmonies to genuinely haunting effect. With just as many bands that are more interesting on paper than in their feature here, The Fold Compilation proves uneven as its own listen. For those indie rock historians, hipsters, and patient listeners reading me, though, you'll more than likely find your new favorite band in here.

Essential:	"Loaded Gun", "You in the Glass", "Cada Casa Que Crece"
Quintessential:	"Afterlife"
Non-Essential:	"It's the Sun"
Rating:
Further listening:	The Fold Compilation's Rediscovering entry