Named in tribute to the Brian Eno produced New York rock scene compilation from 1978, ‘No New York’ (featuring 4 tracks each from the bands James Chance & The Contortions, Teenage Jesus And The Jerks Mars and D.N.A) comes ‘Yes New York’, and pretty predictably, it’s very, very good.
Kicking off with a largely token but not unappealing live slice of The Strokes performing ‘New York City Cops’ in Iceland (the place as opposed to the exceptionally convenient Frozen Foods merchant) the early stages of the compilation move through Radio 4’s ‘Save Your City’- complete with bristling nervous energy – through the stiletto stabbing, android skabeat of the Roger Sisters ‘Zero Point’ to the punchy misanthropy of Ted Leo.
Steeped in swathes of reverb and humming with the faint whir of electricity, it’s a compilation that straddles the sometimes tricky space between new-wave and dance-rock. For the most part, the garage-rock explosion alluded to in the press release is not evident beyond the inclusion of The Strokes – but this is no bad thing as it’s clear on the evidence supplied by the likes of Longwave, Interpol and The Walkmen – not to mention the fruity electronica of Le Tigre – that there’s something far more interesting going on at the back of the garage.