Compilation albums are by nature mixed bags. Listeners often find themselves taking a small dose of good with a whole mess of bad, although the benefits (discovering a new band, getting a feel for a particular label's roster) tend to outweigh the disadvantages (frequent use of the skip button).

Pox World Empire's Compulation, Vol.1: Songs from North Carolina is no exception to this rule. It kicks off with the mellow/driving power pop of The Rosebuds and "Governor's Daughter," a song that merits further exploration of the band's forthcoming releases on Merge Records, and progresses to the appalling, incomprehensible yelps and anguish of Des_Ark's "Yes Sir, Yes Way." Then comes Shallow Be Thy Name's rather tuneless "A Call for Merry Punch." (Please, no more. They sound as if they've had too much already.) Cold Sides' "Profiles," the following track, could win a prize for being the most inane and irksome song to be featured on a label compilation – then again, we haven't yet arrived at "Music for Gnome-Ladz" by Cantwell Gomez & Jordan. Pleasant's "Horrible" is just that, sacrificing a great tune to the gods of misguided vocalists. And instead of being a selling point, the guest spot "Skinny Glasses Girl" by Portastatic is largely underwhelming.

Rather than dwell on the many misses among these twenty-one tracks, there are a few hits worth mentioning. Ben Davis' "In Tents" is appealing, Beck-like electro-groove rock. North Elementary shows some promise with the brief closing track "Turn up, Stay Home," the feeble male vocals notwithstanding. Farblondjet and The Sleepies turn out some clever and enjoyable melodies on "Gold Guitars" and "Bottle in the Smoke," respectively. Neither comes across as remarkably fresh, but there's nothing wrong with capitalizing on the tried-and-tested indie pop formula. "Young Trust" by Piedmont Charisma is a peculiar Devo/B-52's hybrid that, for better or worse, ought to spark some kind of curiosity for the band's other work. The Sames' "Smaller Than Life" shows why the band's EP was such a hit on area radio station WXDU in 2002.

The best track by far, however, is "Long Long Time" by Schooner. It appears on Compulation in a slightly different (and arguably inferior) form to the album version found on You Forget About Your Heart, which at a mere eight tracks over 29 minutes is more of a Maxi-EP than a full-length, if we had a mind to be pedantic; but it's nevertheless eight tracks and 29 minutes very well spent: Moody, tuneful, intelligent rock – I suppose it might qualify as emo to the die-hard categorizers – reminiscent of Guided by Voices, My Bloody Valentine, Archers of Loaf, The Smiths.
The quality of frontman Reid Johnson's songwriting is consistently high. No lulls, no hints of attempting to cover a lack of inspiration, no filler, not a single welcome overstayed. Classic stuff, in other words, and that more than compensates for the brevity. And the sequencing is a model of its kind: every song is exactly where it belongs. This is why the Schooner debut entered my stereo two weeks ago and hasn't come out since. I truly relish every listen. –Eric J. Iannelli