Various Artists - 'Check The Water: 10 Years of Leaf' (The Leaf Label) Released 07/11/05

Celebrations marking 4AD's first quarter of a century in the business have undoubtedly been the birthday bash of the year in the realm of indie, but another esteemed imprint has also been busy blowing out candles and unwrapping presents of late. The Leaf Label is ten years old, and this 2-CD label sampler offers a timely chance for the uninitiated to find out just why Leaf is discussed in reverential terms amidst fans of experimental fare. Programmed in roughly chronological order, Check The Water signpost the label's story from it's first release, Boymerang's atmospheric epic 'The Don' from 1995 to its latest signing, the hyper-active guitar-mangling of Chicago's Volcano!, who truly embody the handle of Leaf's mail order operation, Post Everything.

The first CD, ranging from the ambient minimalism of Susumu Yokota to the breakneck beat bombardment of Luger, summarises the label's first five years by showcasing the experimental electro adventurism that's been Leaf's forte. As consistently impressive as CD1 is, and the highlights, including Kieren Hebden's first produce under the Four Tet banner, a bouncing B-side from Caribou and a slice of Faultline's dubwise sonic swashbuckling, are particularly dazzling dispatches from the more approachable areas of cutting-edge beats precision, it can't compete with the embarrassment of riches on the latter half of the sampler.

Although bleeps, beats, hum and hiss continue to provide Leaf's staple diet, the last five years have seen the label's roster inch away from pure laptop alchemy to an exhilaratingly uncategorisable area between electronica, jazz, classical, ambient, folk and pop. The results, from Murcof's magnificent 'Mir' and Icarus's seamless union of honking free jazz horns and erratic beats to Boom Bip & Doseone's avant-hip hop, A Hawk and A Hacksaw's cabaret folk, Hanne Hukkelberg's wonky and imaginative take on laidback jazz-lite singer-songwriterdom and the Cinematic Orchestra-esque feast of loose-limbed organic rhythm from Sydney's Triosk, locate just the right balance between beard-stroking innovation and crowd-pleasing infectiousness.

The picks of the bunch, however, are Psapp and the Danish outfit Efterklang. Although burdened by monikers suggesting bedroom techno wizards with 'unlistenable' as the default setting on their gear, the two acts excel in proving that seemingly conflicting tendencies - unashamedly catchy pop chops with one foot firmly in guitar-picking tradition and a comprehensive knowledge of computerised beats gazing bravely into the future - are more than capable of harmonious co-existence.

Both deserve to be more widely heard, and the same goes for most of the other artists featured here. At remarkably generous 29 tracks - that's nearly 2 1/2 hours of music at mid-price! - Check The Water is the perfect place to tune in to the sweet sounds of the Leaf Label.