One sign of a healthy music scene – or, at least, a supportive music scene (and, hell, in this case, a super-healthy scene too) – is when those involved in that scene go out of their way to help spread the word about their contemporaries. So a manly slap on the back goes to Undersmile’s Tom McKibbin, who under the name Trickster has just released his first compilation of Oxford music, Oxford: City of Sound Vol 1, a completely free two-hour megathon, split into two SoundCloudy chunks.
The compilation features some of the best Oxford bands, past and present, leaning towards the heavier and/or weirder side of things:
- Sextodecimo
- The Graceful Slicks
- The Cellar Family
- Seabuckthorn
- D. Gwalia
- Komrad
- Xmas Lights
- Holiday Stabbings
- Agness Pike
- Caravan Of Whores
- Mother Corona
- Ivy’s Itch
- Listing Ships
- Olid
- Suitable Case For Treatment
- Tamara Parsons-Baker
- Von Braun
- Desert Storm
- Undersmile
- Sevenchurch
Here’s the compilation in its two parts:
Make sure you also check out the Trickster blog which explains some of the thinking behind the compilation (and which includes the clincher detail “…there’s more to Oxford than punting and public-school buggery”) as well as including links to and short descriptions of all of the bands and musicians involved.
A real labour of love, to be applauded. Trickster promises further volumes too, with plans to showcase other areas of Oxford’s diverse music scene.