Album Review:
Independent label compilations are a risky endeavor; They're not exactly dirt cheap to produce, and usually labels wind up giving them away as freebies, because only two out of the fifteen or twenty bands are even remotely good. Such is the case with INITIAL STAGES: VOLUME ONE.

The disc features 20 bands, and right off the bat, I'll tell you that a good 10 of them are sub-par. The production is half-way decent, and the musicianship is acceptible, but shitty vocalists and lousy songwriting run rampant in about half of this disc. With that said, there are a few diamonds scattered throughout the heaps of coal.

GREEN TO THINK - Proving that New Jersey breeds talent, this band from Bloomfied, NJ shines with their extremely-catchy "Better", bringing to mind the power-pop of THE SPIN DOCTORS.

FOOLING APRIL- Hailing from Philadelphia, PA, with their track "Firefly" these guys show you inside of nine seconds that they know how to write melodic, hooky, pop music, with a hint of jam-band riffage.

Both bands showcase excellent musicianship, strong vocals, and superb songwriting. Ultimately, the songs are what sells records. You can excuse production glitches or a not-so-hot mix if the SONG is there...and that's what these two bands figured out.

YOU CAN PICK UP THE INITIAL STAGES COMPILATION HERE for about ten bucks, and considering you'll discover a few incredible bands for ten bucks, I'd say it's worth it.