Various Artists - 'Beneath The Surface 3 - A Bella Union Sampler' (Bella Union) Released 26/03/07

Bella Union's bud burst for the spring is this highly impressive sampler disc of their current label signings from one of the best labels to come to prominence in 2006 featuring many artists voted in the Top 50 Albums last year in the Gigwise chart. With their 10th Anniversary this year and having just had their most commercially successful year, this Volume 3 sampler has champion stamped on it.

A spectacular opening from Scotland's My Latest Novel with their debut single - 'Sister Sneaker Sister Soul', it really can't get much better than this with a breezy folk tune that prompts cartwheels with its feel-good factor ala The Hidden Camera's and a fabulous use of violin not heard since the likes of The Who's 'Baba O'Riley' to add dramatics to a My Bloody Valentine thunderclash. The Dears bring pop respite with a piano-led melody and a vocalist like an animated Tom Yorke on the song 'Above A Lake Of Fire' - "...so, I'm gonna be taking some chances/ oh, even if I should burn to ashes...", and Explosions In The Sky take a Mogwai-sque traipse through instrumental art-rock territory with 'Welcome, Ghosts' and brazen drums. Howling Bells with 'This City's Burning' is a flame-drenched broody piece that could have worked on Apocalypse Now when Martin Sheen is about to slay Colonel Kurtz to The Doors 'The End'. "Come fill my cup/ if we have what we want..." sings Robert Gomez on 'Closer Still' providing a jaunty number like a caustic Violent Femmes tune and his signature hushed/breathy vocals taking off the edge, "...we're moving/ moving/ closer
still...", and The Kissaway Trail's 'Eloquence And Elixir' hums and dings and nearly fills the Grandaddy size hole.

Delicacies comes from new signing Stephanie Dosen with 'Like A Dream' and a Kate Bush mien that displays a pure folk aria with gossamer-thin threads, and Dublin's wonderboy Fionn Regan shows smarty pants composition on 'Put A Penny In The Slot' like he's found Dylan's 'The Time's They Are A-Changin'' fountain pen - "I apologise/ I seemed to have arrived
home/ with items in my bag from your house...". By contrast, Piano artist Dustin O'Halloran takes a leaf or more from the Michael Nyman school of genius with 'Opus 28' and a tune that soothed the anguish on Sophie Coppola's recent 'Marie Antoinette'. Midlake were on so many best of lists for last year with their album 'Trials Of Van Occupanther', their archival sound and historic narratives explored here on 'Bandits', and Dirty Three's 'Everything's Fucked' has the cardinal nihilistic title and comes over like an instrumental Waterboys with an Oceanic piece and violin cascades, and established Danish act  Under Byen close the book with 'Den Her Sang Handler Om At Fa Det Bedste Ud Af Det' [quite!] with the crpytic vocals exploring sonic intrigue and Bjork-esque stylings.

Lots of plums to be found in this pudding then - juicy and sweet. Simon Raymonde turns up the trumps proving Bella Union are one of the most assured labels of our times and have taken the mantel from the likes of 4AD for their consistency and fantastic artists.