Various Artists
Will Our Children Thank Us
Foundry Recordings

The track listing of Will Our Children Thank Us reads like a "Who's Who Among Up-and-Coming British Post-Rock bands." With the exception of Birmingham's spook-rock outfit Pram, no band on this CD has even anything resembling a cult following in the United States. But virtually all of them are poised to grab critical acclaim in the coming months.

Take, for instance, Novak, whose "Peggy's Well" stands out as one of the best songs on a CD chock full of virtuoso talent. The band has spent the last two years releasing a total of five singles, and its eponymous debut album had a U.K. release date of April 26. The Novak sound is a melange (sometimes cacophony) of bongos, drums, oft-distorted guitar, bass, flute, analog synths and "weird" instruments like accordian, toy piano and harmonica. Lazy critics have pigeonholed the band as a folk outfit, but anyone who's heard the soaring guitar distortion of "Telesphore" or the bass-heavy, hip-hop beats of "Rapunzel" knows this Birmingham septet isn't afraid to get a bit rowdy. That said, "Peggy's Well," is probably the most folky Novak song to date. It's difficult to believe a seven-piece band can sound this spare.

"Peggy's Well" is hardly typical of the fare found on Will Our Children Thank Us, however. It's one of only three songs on the CD with vocals, and it's definitely the least busy. More representative is Appliance, who sounds a bit like a bass-heavy Stereolab. Or Billy Mahonie, who combines Tortoise-like bass lines with flailing guitar antics (though "Glenda," the band's contribution to this LP, is a bit more subdued than the band's windmilling live shows).

Pram, who've just released a new EP themselves, weigh in with an exclusive remix of "Carnival of Souls," this one being the eeriest (must be that theremin) yet. This year-old tune combines the band's usual funhouse-mirror-analog sound with reggae/dub percussion and guitar, with the primary effect of the remixing being an increased emphasis of the theremin. Somehow, it works to create the kind of freakhouse feel you strive for when you have company and you just want them to LEAVE. Nice.

Electric Sound of Joy, having parted ways with its vocalist, shows us all the kind of Space Age Bachelor Pad Music Stereolab might have made had that band not become nearly so vocal-and-hook-obsessed. Meanwhile, Wisdom of Harry provide the most synthetic-sounding music on the compilation, opting for the use of a drum-machine, which sets them apart from the guitar/drums/bass/vocals sound they've had on previous releases. ISAN, Piano Magic and Rothko all contribute memorable tunes, though Rothko's may be the most average on a CD full of amazing songs. State River Widening rounds out the compilation with a loop-based, analog-tinged folk number.

Will Our Children Thank Us is a well-put-together, extremely diverse collection of songs by some of England's most intriguing, largely-unheard bands. If you're even a little bit bored with the music you've been hearing lately and want to be turned on to a whole new sound, seek this out. You'll be glad you did. Hell, buy it anyway.

— Eric Wittmershaus (ericw at flakmag dot com)