Various Artists

Another Year on the Streets: Vol. 3

Vagrant Records

With a diverse, rich and very buzzworthy arsenal, Vagrant Records is an ideal label to release a compilation. And Vagrant already having done that twice before, the third installment of “Another Year on the Streets” just keeps building on the yummy goodness of its predecessors. The comp begins with one of Vagrant’s new signings, Down to Earth Approach, who take pop-punk vocal stylings (a la New Found Glory) and mix them with a pop rock sound. The result, “Exhibit of the Year,” is an incredibly catchy song that is heavier on the rock than the bubblegum. The band’s Vagrant debut, due August 3rd, is definitely an album to watch out for. The Dashboard Confessional track “Warmth of the Sand” is stripped down (unlike Carrabba’s most recent record), which might raise hopes that it possesses some of the magic of the “The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most” days, but no such luck. Just a beachy sounding acoustic number is all you get. Alkaline Trio’s “Heaven” departs significantly from the style of the songs on “Good Mourning” (i.e. not as good production and less hooks) but is still good nonetheless. Both tracks from Moneen and Saves the Day are great contributions, and From Autumn to Ashes’ live cover of Nirvana’s “Territorial Pissings” is so angst-ridden, you just know this is how Cobain would have performed it had Nirvana been a hardcore band. You’ve just got to love No Motiv and “Meanwhile” falls right in line with the band’s tastes on their latest full-length. The highlights of “Another Year on the Streets” just keep coming, as both Hey Mercedes and the New Amsterdams toss in some fine work. Rounding out the comp are other Vagrant staples like Hot Rod Circuit, The Get Up Kids, Paul Westerberg and a few others. With “Another Year on the Streets,” Vagrant has definitely done it again by putting out a comp that is unquestionably worth picking up.

Leah Weinberg

Related Links:
Another Year on the Streets, Vol. 2 review
Official Website