Various Artists
Squirtgun Records: The Singles 1995-1997
Squirtgun Records

This CD is a compilation of all of the 7" singles released on the formerly Brampton Ontario-based Squirtgun Records. The label released some of the greatest indie-pop stuff in Canada and was a very active and important player on the Canadian scene for the last 4 years. Things have been rather quiet on the Squirtgun front since the hysteria and popularity of indie music that occurred largely between '95-'97 died down. With the music business changing so much over the last year Squirtgun's Lee Maslin has turned to focusing on other things. This CD will likely be one of the last things to come out on Squirtgun.

The CD does an excellent job of reminding the listener of the hype and large crowds that were synonymous with local music during those years. All of the songs on this comp are great, catchy, well-written and all worthwhile singles. The record features lots of older singles, including songs off of the original Our Stupid Noise compilation, which was later followed by the infamous More Of Our Stupid Noise and More Of Our Stupid Noise 98 which was recently released by Nettwerk with some extra tracks. All of the songs converted well to CD format. The album also includes some treasures like the Lunar Landing Confirmed 7" (featuring Hayden and Poledo) which is now sold-out and the never-released hHead/Noah's Arkweld 7" (which was supposed to be released in the fall of 96 but never happened) giving us 2 brand new tracks from these now silent bands. Even if you have most of these singles already, it is still worth it to buy this disc. 7"s aren't generally known for their longevity and this is a great-sounding and diverse compilation that is a delightful way to remember Squirtgun Records.

Copyright © 1998 Laura Bowman