V/A – Doom Mix Vol. II
4.23.18 by Ryan Masteller

Comps are dumping grounds for neglected tunes that couldn’t make the album cut. Just look at the enormous stack of Warped Tour and Ozzfest and DGC and what-have-you CDs gathering dust in the corner over there and tell me they have a use other than landfill fodder. And seriously, you should probably get rid of all those.

…Which is what I WOULD HAVE SAID back in the days before the light illuminated the truth and these old codger’s eyes were opened for good! (But I still mean it: those CDs in the corner just aren’t good ones.) That’s right, I’ve come around to the glorious use of the compilation as a means for perpetuating the label brand, and it’s all thanks to “Doom Mix Vol. I,” which was my favorite release by California whippersnappers Doom Trip before that whole Mukqs tape came along (gosh, that’s a good’un, along with the REST of the tapes in the Doom Trip catalog). And now we’ve got a SECOND volume, “Doom Mix Vol. II” (duh), filled to the brim with Doom Trip artists old (R. Stevie Moore, Diamondstein, Heejin Jang) and new (Brayeden Jae, MrDougDoug, Dntel). If that name Dntel sounds familiar, you’d be right: you probably heard his song with up-and-coming singer/songwriter Ben Gibbard on the hit show “The OC.” (And I predict BIG THINGS for that fellow Gibbard, by the way – he truly is a treasure.)

All kidding aside, “Doom Mix Vol. II” is filled chockablock with excellent tunes, once again proving my old self wrong and solidifying the idea that diversity in sound unified under one roof can be just as cohesive and stunning as a single artist executing a singular vision. And on this second anniversary of Doom Trip’s existence, what better way to celebrate than by tripping fully through the “variety of approaches to electronic music” that the label’s pushing? I know that’s what I’ll be doing.

And in the spirit of calling attention to a compilation track surprising the hell out of me, here’s a standout on initial listen: Diamondstein’s “Taghut #2.” But don’t stop there, dive back in for the rest! Downloads are FREE FOREVER, but only 150 of the tapes exist…

And DON’T throw this tape in a landfill!