Search - Various Artists :: Yes New York

With Omaha, Nebraska as a prime example, many of the towns that support thriving local music scenes are isolated culturally, cheap places to live, or both. Maybe that's why New York, the world capitol of capital, hasn't had a truly notable local scene since the late '70s gabba-gabba heyday of CBGB's. Until recently, that is. As the 16 bands on Yes New York make clear, the city's rock underground stretches far beyond the town's newest stars, the Strokes. Julian Casablancas's crew is present here, courtesy of a concert recording of "New York City Cops" from an outer borough known as Iceland, but so are the doomy dirges of Interpol, the mid-tempo techno-funk of Le Tigre, and the DC-transplant punk of Ted Leo & the Pharmacists . And these are just a few of the city's more established hometown heroes. One of this CD's real pleasures is the opportunity it provides to hear lesser-known fixtures such as Radio 4, Calla, and the Natural History, many of whom owe more to the Brit-punk of Gang of Four and Wire than NYC standard-bearers like the Ramones or Talking Heads. As is practically guaranteed with any compilation, the quality varies from track to track, but it's a pleasure to report that the range is fairly narrow, from pleasantly diverting to truly revelatory. Best of all, Yes New York is a compelling argument that local music is alive and well in one of the world's most cosmopolitan cities. --Keith Moerer