Various

Idol Tryouts is one of those compilations that are filled with many good tracks and one really outstanding track. Ghostly International gathers the likes of Dabrye, synth-pop/electro by Midwest Product and Kill Memory Crash, minimal techno by Matthew Dear and Osborne, and sentimental electronic by Kiln. All these tracks hit very close to the mark, perforating the emotional target board nicely. The bulls-eye tune, the memorable track that nearly made my CD player laser burn a hole through the disc is "Bernard’s Song” by Outputmessage aka Bernard Farley. "Bernard’s Song” is what Solvent and Lowfish are like at their best — gut-wrenching and sentimental from first to last note. The idol awards for this compilation definitely go to Farley, whereupon a full-length release by this artist will win a trip to my local music store listening booth the moment it hits the bins.