Little Darla Has a Treat For You Vol. 23

Vol. 23 of Little Darla Has a Treat for You offers a state of the Bay Area indie pop label for summer 2005. Selections from Piano Magic ("Love and Music"), Darren Hanlon ("Brooklyn Bridge," on the Darla-distributed Candle), and perennial cad Momus ("Robin Hood") are literate and meticulous pieces of songwriting, while California Oranges' "Falling Back" is a sugary crunch-pop jam and an edit of Aarktica's lengthy drift-tronica piece "Bleeding Light" displays yet another side of the contemporary Darla dynamic. The imprint has always had a worldly and inclusive spirit, and this volume is no different. Thievery Corporation remix French chanteuse Isabelle Antena's "Nothing to Lose," and Puerto Rico's Superaquello offer a nimble hybrid of electronics, Wedding Present guitar, and lovely Spanish-language vocal on "Como Campana." A track from the combo's 2004 effort, Bien Gorgeous, it illustrates again Darla's rep as an unmatched clearinghouse of international pop. As usual, the label offers plenty of exclusive material, too, making the set's economical price point even more satisfying. Staying international, Denmark-based producer Manual contributes an exclusive cover of the shimmery Jan Hammer (and Miami Vice) classic "Crockett's Theme," while Lullatone (aka U.S. expat Shawn James Seymour) transmits the minimalist laptop twee of "Little Songs About Raindrops" from his home in Nagoya, Japan. Magic Arrows might hail from Milwaukee, but "She's a Light/Iowa" comes from somewhere wholly more mysterious, a glimmering blend of orchestral ambience and Windy & Carl. Jennifer O'Connor's "Color and the Light" is another set highlight with its weighty melancholy and incredible atmosphere, as are the brittle, Four Tet/Aeroc-ish beats of Kobol's "Broken Ebony." Really though, there's nothing lacking here. With its pedigree, variety, and price (cheap!), Little Darla Has a Treat for You is a hard habit to break for any pop fan. ~ Johnny Loftus|