Sofa Records presents Class of 2004

This compilation brings together a tenuously-linked group of artists who got tired of waiting for record companies to open their ears and decided to release their own music.

Ranging from Cork singer-songwriters to German electronica, the result is indeed a trip – a mouth-watering taster from eighteen different acts, many of whom have yet to release their debut albums.

The first half of the compilation is very much of an acoustic nature, featuring interesting, laidback melodies from the homegrown likes of Guggenheim Grotto (who provide the mandolin-flavoured ‘One for Sorrow’), Jason O Driscoll and the Joni Mitchell-tinged Hilary Bow. The inclusion of two indie-flavoured bands from Waterford – The Arcades and The Heard – along with a seriously groovy tune from Alex Jones (founder of the city’s Ruby Studios) suggest meanwhile that there could be something stirring in the South-East that’s worth taking notice of.

Elsewhere, Eoin Coughlan provides the lovely, piano-led ‘All Over You’ while young Dublin five piece Substance chip in with the experimental ‘Big City Nights’.

The compilation then takes a very intriguing turn with the inclusion of a track from the jazzy-flavoured Ryland Teifi, who sounds a bit like Sting singing in Welsh (but better). Album compiler John Haggis (a singer-songwriter who himself contributes ‘The Thief That Stole My Lonely Heart’) broadens the focus from the homegrown independent crop to also delve under the cushions and provide us with excellent electronica-tinged tracks, including one from Waves On Saturn.

The international vibe continues with some lovely late night grooves from the Berlin-based Shiva Sounds and French group Kloosh, while Army of Id also come up trumps with the soul-groove of ‘My Day’. Who needs the Corporation when you have this kind of artistic co-operation?

A compilation that begins then with a new wave of Irish pop poets and ends up in Berlin listening to Spanish style guitars and French songs being sung with a German accent Class Of 2004 provides yet another inspiring reminder of how much talent is operating out there under the radar, unbothered by the lack of record company support. If only every sofa contained such shiny gems underneath its cushions.