Various

Holding to the ultra low-fi DIY ethic mixed with the immensely talented artistry the label is known for, Blocks Recording Club's 2008 Mix comes in a beautiful package with a minimum of information, save for the track listing featuring some of Toronto's finest. Final Fantasy kicks in what was one of the best songs of 2008 with what could be this moniker's anthem, "The Butcher." Barn burning country buzz band $100 prove their worth isn't being falsely inflated. A very welcome sensual pop gem from Hank is a disc highlight, a tough position to uphold with such strong contributions like Bob Wiseman's slightly sinister heart-tugger "White Dress" and Final Fantasy's epic take on Alex Lukashevsky's brilliant "Ultimatum," from the recently released Plays to Please EP. As if there weren't enough examples of contrast and excellence already on display, Katie Stelmanis's hauntingly beautiful experimental chamber goth pop is represented via "In My Favour." If out of tune singing isn't your thing, Pyramid Culture's "Parasitic Fetal Twin" might be a little hard to digest but the production and ridiculous lyrics are amusing enough. Kids On TV take the mix into the home stretch with a meandering robotic rave remix of "We Are The New Keith Cole" before Blocks' eccentric ringleader serves up ten minutes of sonic scuba diving mixed with chilled dance grooves and confrontational dissonance under his Blankket guise. This great sampling of a fearlessly idiosyncratic music community is almost always as awesome as it is interesting.