Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Twisted Nerve
Various Artists
Twisted Nerve / Beggars Banquet
God bless boutique labels, those quirky organizations that seem to be steered by an obsessive set of guidelines. Twisted Nerve has recently come to fame as the home of Badly Drawn Boy, but this compilation shows that they have many more tricks up their sleeve.
Unlike other similar outfits, Twisted Nerve doesn’t restrict itself to a narrowly-defined genre, but it certainly seems to possess a unique sense of qualification to its acts. I’d have to say that without exception, all the artists on here – Badly Drawn Boy, Sirconical, Dave Tyack’s Dakota Oak, AndyVotel (who happens to be label chief) and many others – are quite subtle and intellectual in their approach, whether it be an electronic composition, acoustic balladeering, or pop craftsmanship. It’s diverse, but a quality sort of diverse. Without a doubt, the highlight for me is Sirconical’s digitized take on “Moondance,” whereby the Van Morrison standard is reduced to a resonant bass line and a variety of electronic and percussive highlights.
Everything… is a worthwhile collection, in all probability containing at least two or three artists to further explore. Fear not the asking.
Beggars Banquet: http://www.beggars.com • Twisted Nerve: http://www.twistednerve.co.uk
