Willkommen Collective, Vol. 1

The 21st century folk revival, whatever the tags or terms given to it, has often gone hand in hand with an emphasis on collective efforts -- no less so than, say, hip-hop outfits and their own work across numerous releases and mixtapes and more. Not that the participants on Willkommen Collective are at the level of the Wu-Tang Clan on that front, but the Brighton, U.K.-based label and acts do have a follow-through in cellist Will Calderbank, whose work appears throughout the disc in various contexts. Many of the acts on the compilation are sweetly enjoyable in familiar ways, embracing traditional styles as such (or as received and interpreted) that will please fans of performers such as Nick Drake, Sandy Denny,` and the Incredible String Band and their many spinoffs and associates without entirely surprising them either. When a performer finds a more ragged or unsettled approach, though, things become a little more compelling -- the murky singalong gloom of "30 Boys with Bats" by the Songs of Noel and Adrian and the whistling, odd fragility of "Four Corners" by Atlas Crease is just off enough, in a good way, to stand out well amid the album as a whole. Meanwhile the Leisure Society's contribution "Pancake Day" captures the sense of sweet, unexpected joy familiar from their earlier album on the label, a fine confection. Admittedly, other songs like "The Knife Thrower's Hand" by the Miserable Rich sound a little too much like any vaguely wistful contemporary indie rock band, but such is the nature of a compilation covering a lot of ground. ~ Ned Raggett