It Came From A Compilation!

Photo from The Orange Peels Facebook page.

There’s no shortage these days of free compilation CDs featuring various artists. Samplers often come attached to rock magazines or turn up on the counter at trendy retail stores. Some are sponsored by a local radio station or business, and the acts can range from big names to complete unknowns. It’s a smart marketing tool for up-and-coming musicians to expand their fan base. New artists compilations can be inconsistent in quality, but with some careful listening, you might discover at least a few gems.

“Something In You,” recorded by The Orange Peels (not to be confused with the Scottish band, Orange Juice), was on one of those discs that came with Paste (the magazine also attached free DVDs). Its a melodic love song that artfully blends the atmospheric keyboards of 1980s techno music with the ringing guitars of power pop, and features singer-chief songwriter Allen Clapp’s androgynous vocals.

Clapp captures the yearning of a guy who imagines an exhilarating lifestyle with a woman he barely knows: “Something in you makes me want to be so free.” It’s almost a plea for validation as Clapp sings, “Tell me that you see some hope in me.” I have “Something In You” on an iTunes playlist where it’s directly followed by “Something That You Said,” a rare techno pop effort from The Bangles. It would also pair nicely with The Pretenders’ “Show Me.”