It's a Trap is what you might call the Scandinavian online music embassy, the international proponent of all music emanating from Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark and Iceland, with an emphasis on guitar-based indie rock. Conceived and maintained by one man, Avi Roig, the site is based in Albany, California, several thousand miles from its area of coverage. "[N]ot content with simply being a webzine," reads the press release to this album, "the time has come for the next logical step." Hence this handy Reader's Companion released on the zine's eponymous label.

For those wholly unfamiliar with It's a Trap and its journalistic agenda, no matter. The disc stands on its own as a fine three-nation (no Danes or Icelanders to be had, unfortunately) compilation, giving seventeen desperately underexposed bands the chance to be heard outside of their usual geographic confines and to allow their work to mingle with what's on offer elsewhere. Peter, Bjorn & John kick off the comp promisingly with their gritty, lip-curled pop song "It Beats Me Every Time." KVLR (formerly Kevlar until Dupont took their trademarked vowels back) follow up with the previously unreleased "Uncanny Valley," which conjures images of a macho Death Cab for Cutie. "Arizona Spit Trip" by Fun will no doubt please post- and instrumental rockers and devotees of labels such as 54'40" or Fight! and Touch and Go.

It's supremely tempting to go through the rest of the disc track by track, but it's sufficient to say that each one is consistently strong, hand-picked for its universal likeability. Even the "8-bit rock n' roll" of Desert Planet's "Return of the Ninja Droids" has a peculiar sort of charm. Fans of the Barsuk and Merge catalogues will find a lot here to suit their palettes, José González's plaintive "Crosses" and CDOASS' zippy "Speak to Me" (think Talking Heads, Devo) foremost among the rest.

Not long ago I wrote of compilations being hit-and-miss affairs. Defying the norm, this one is nearly all hit. – Eric J. Iannelli