Various

It seems that Jade Tree is constantly being referred to as an "emo label.” Sure, their first band to really break was super-emo the Promise Ring, but the tag discounts the incredible diversity of music on Jade Tree’s roster, past and present. This sampler, a collection of mostly previously available music from both current bands and a few old notables, serves as an excellent representation of the strength of music available from Jade Tree. These Arms Are Snakes kick things off with "Riding The Grape Dragon,” a frenzied post-punk blast that is suddenly followed by the jerky electro-rock of Cex. What’s important is how all these diverse sounds, from the sweet pop of Denali to the free pop of Joan of Arc, and from the hardcore kick of Kid Dynamite to the hardcore dissonance of From Ashes Rise, come together under one big umbrella of punk rock. Every track showcases a band pushing the limits of the genre; a whole scene of musicians not content to play the same music they’ve been listening to for 20 years. The influences are certainly there, but the noises are all unique. By putting out an affordable sampler with such strong music — and some decent unreleased tracks to boot — Jade Tree have offered definitive proof that they are not just an "emo label.”