Fruits de Mer Vol. 21 :: Keep Off the Grass

Before you do, roll around in it first…for a long time…before keeping off. Then good luck trying. The grass is greener, lusher and smoother than your favorite blend.

Refreshing and comfortable in equal measure, Keep Off the Grass is another top-shelf outing from Fruits de Mer Records and their bevy of inducers and interpretators: King Penguin float a stellar take on The Byrd’s Thoughts and Words; Sendelica strip down Journey to the Center of the Mind for maximum lift-off; The Dead Sea Apes bake Skip Spence’s Land of the Sun in their solar-flared oven; Earthling Society reveal new treasures under The Chocolate Watch Band’s Dark Side of the Mushroom and The Luck of Eden Hall drop yet another gem this year with their reminder of Something in the Air. A full bounty of others fill up the cornucopia to the gushing point. Favorites? Sure, but there’s not a weak link in the chain. Calling it another compilation of covers is a grave disservice. Elevated by each outfit with the highest of respect for the source material, Keep Off the Grass doesn’t simply drag the past out into the light, it shines a spotlight on it, maybe revealing some new blades that got trampled underfoot over the years. Take off those old comfortable shoes and take a walk barefoot through the fields. The ground feels the same, but the well-worn path goes places you may have not noticed before.

Journey to the Center of the Mind :: Sendelica :: Fruits de Mer Vol. 21 Keep Off the Grass (2011, Fruits de Mer Records)