Various Artists - 2020 - The World Is Our Lobster

(74:53; Fruits de Mer Records)

Track list:
1. SilVer VialS - Sweet Life 4:03
2. Stray Owls - Snake in the Grass 4:04
3. Stay - In the Hole 5:37
4. Vilse i Pannkakan - Horisont 8:03
5. Mark McDowell and friends - Breakthrough 4:41
6. James McKeown - Life Aboard the International Space Station 4:22
7. Cary Grace - Cassiopeia, 1572 13:14
8. The Sugarman Band - The Wind Coloured Like Laughing Rainbows 5:48
9. Scott William Urquart - Ballet Dancer 2:51
10. Superfjord - Cut and Paste 8:36
11. Psychic Lemon - Seeds of Tranquility 13:34

Line-up:
Artists as listed


Prolusion.
UK label Fruits de Mer Records have developed into a powerhouse in the vinyl scene as well as the psychedelic rock scene in the 15 or so years they have been active. Among the items I have received by the label over the years that I didn't have the capacity to take on when I got them is this compilation album from 2020, "The World Is Our Lobster". This is a compilation of (mainly) new music at the time, and was exclusively available to members of the Fruits de Mer members club.

Analysis.
Compilation albums used to have a bit of a bad reputation among music lovers, as there were so many of them that were more or less haphazard collections of music that someone felt needed more marketing, and would often consist of some familiar names tossed in to sell the compilation and plenty of additional material of variable and at times dubious quality. They were a useful manner in which to market unknown artists of course, at least in the day and age before the internet was available to all and sundry.

These days compilation albums tend to be more high quality productions, as the mere act of selling them to a public now requires the content to be of high quality to begin with. Fruits de Mer Records have a solid reputation for all of their releases of course, and their compilation albums are as solid as the rest of the music they release. "The World Is Our Lobster" is no exception to that.

From gentler acoustic and pastoral creations to 60's tinged psychedelic pop and rock and through to more expressive varieties of psychedelic and progressive rock, this is a production that covers many bases among an audience with a more widespread interest in the form. Among more purebred progressive rock fans the contribution by Vilse I Pannkakan will possibly be the most interesting one, and those with an interest in material with a more cosmic touch get some servings of that to explored in a low key and elegant manner as well as in a more rough and dirty variety. With plenty of material in between and off to the sides of the psychedelic spectrum with as well as without a progressive intent or orientation.

The main challenge for this compilation is getting hold of it, as it has been a few years since it was released, and finding it will most likely mean scouring the second hand market. At the time of writing I only managed to find two available copies, of which one is an unplayed copy on sale with a price tag clearly aimed towards the collector market.

Conclusion.
Fruits de Mer is a label renowned for having an excellent quality control over the material they release, and while some productions will have more of a niche interest the quality itself will always be of a high class. That description fits rather well with this compilation too, with contributions where some are more niche oriented and others have a more broad appeal, but everything is of a solid quality. If you come across this compilation at a decent price, consider it a safe buy - at least if you have a taste for psychedelic music in many different guises and variations.

Olav "Progmessor" Björnsen, January 2023

Links:
https://www.fruitsdemerrecords.com/