Various

The third compilation from the hardworking Hamilton music scene "collective" known as Hot Tub Records takes a step away from hard rock and presents the crafty and delicate side of the smoky city. Folk roots are strong within the town, and given the autonomous and often too quiet nature of Hamilton, one for the most part can expect lonely acoustic and sometimes dreary, but wonderful, sounds of solitude. Highlights include contributions from the passion-oozing Neil Haverty, the rural satellite folk of Chore's Chris Bell and the revamped A Northern Chorus, Matthew Barber, David Harvey and Melissa McClelland. And the quirky side is best exemplified by former Gorp musicnaut Mark Raymond and Wax Mannequin. The most powerful and psychologically explanatory song that depicts the state of the average citizen comes from the pairing of Rob Lamothe and recent expatriate Lisa Winn, with their pleasant rendition of Black Sabbath's "Paranoid." Unexpected it is, which is a trait that runs strong within the city.