Cop It Sweet (1997) - Various Artists

Another evening, another late 1990s compilation. I picked this up from a Salvos in Newtown on a recent trip to Sydney. Not much springs to mind when I badger it about Antfarm Records. According to Discogs, they seem to have issued little aside from a series of comps whereby this is the second (with catalogue number ANT002), No Guts, No Glory being the first and True Grit the third. I'd initially tried to track down the first for... the Lustre track (see Suburban Superheroes)? Snorkel? I forget.

The label was run by Laura Bailey and Stu Kahn, ostensibly (and appropriately) out of Newtown. The email addresses supplied have an UNSW domain, so perhaps this was a uni student affair. The Scruffs, who contribute the track 'Stand & Rocky' to this disc, also had their debut EP (Take A Bath) released on Antfarm. A quick peruse of their period website reveals their catalogue ca 2000:

ANT001 "No Guts, No Glory", various artists	$10
ANT002 "Cop It Sweet", various artists	$10
ANT003 "Take a Bath", The Scruffs	$10
ANT004 "Crunchtime in Rocketown", Half Miler	$20
ANT005 "True Grit", various artists	$10
ANT006 "Golgi Apparatus", Naughty Stu's Nerdburgers	$10
ANT007 "Im In Love With That Song", Replacements Tribute	$25
ANT008 "Jubilee Park", Love Me	$25
ANT008b "Love Me" tee shirt -tell us size, colour etc!

Overall, a standard period overview of Aussie indie rock. Personal standouts include the Kombi Nation track 'South Easterly' (which is almost proto-dolewave, but less irritating), God Is My Co-Pilot's 'North Coast Holiday' (not to be confused with the NYC band of the same name; like a Pavement/Dino Jr cross but with a singer that sounds suspiciously like Kevin Mitchell) and Plastic Maracas' 'The Publican's Friend' (if only for the lyrics). El Mopa, who also appeared on Au Go Go's Wonder From A Quarter Acre comp after becoming more post-rockified (or is that brit-popped?) Similarly, 2 Litre Dolby make an odd appearance with 'All Hail! King Presser', a cut staunchly different to their later work, sounding (by name and virtue of the actual song) like an all-in Gerling tribute. Kim Salmon's track, closing the comp, is also good.

Surely the most bizarre moment on here is Spurs For Jesus' country and western rendition of Rowland S. Howard's 'Shivers', made famous by the Boys Next Door. It needs to be heard to be believed. Some may shout 'sacrilege'. I murmur 'entertaining'.

I just listened to the entirety of this walking over Gardiner's Creek and the Outer Circle trail multiple times. You too!

1. Step On The Gas    4:02    Orange Humble Band
2. No Return    2:23    Free Moving Curtis
3. North Coast Holiday    3:51    God Is My Co-Pilot
4. The Publican's Friend    3:10    Plastic Maracas
5. Stand & Rocky    2:51    The Scruffs
6. The Single    2:49    El Mopa
7. The Soulthieves    3:57    The Soulthieves
8. Graves Of Saints    5:24    The Harpoons
9. Catfish Loves Naughty Stu    2:34    Scuffy
10. Menacer    2:42    Jim Cobail
11. Another Relationship Fatality    3:04    Half Miler
12. South Easterly    4:45    The Kombi Nation
14. All Hail! King Presser    3:48    2 Litre Dolby
15. Out Done & Maybe    3:14    Catch 22
16. Void    3:42    The Honeyhunters
17. Olympic Gold Medal    3:28    Grapefruit
18. Mess Me Round    4:57    The Goodfight
19. Matchbox Cars And Marbles    3:38    The Shouties
20. Shivers    3:35    Spurs For Jesus
21. Seven Ways    2:30    Seventeen
22. When Your Blood Is Up    3:44    Kim Salmon

Cop It Sweet (1997) - Various Artists