Considering the importance of collaboration for many local musicians, a mixture is the perfect way to describe the community of artists, genres and bands that comprise the Trekky Records family.
For more than ten years, the Chapel Hill record label has made a name for itself in the burgeoning local music community, as well as on the national level. Amalgam, the label’s newest mix tape, encapsulates the Trekky history by providing a few tastes of the bands that have helped mold the label.
Balance is key on an indie rock mix tape, and on Amalgam, it’s effectively maintained. The album alternates some of its kickers (like those from Embarrassing Fruits and Brice Randall Bickford) with slow, developed folk songs like Phil Cook’s “Ballad of a Hungry Mother” and the album closer from the now-defunct Westfalia.
New songs, including “Lost in the Trees”, “Red,” “Midtown Dickens”, “Only Brother”, and “Rather” by Vibrant Green, find their place among Trekky classics. For devoted Trekky fans, Amalgam is a treasure trove of the indie music they’ve followed for over a decade.
It’s obvious that musical choice came to play when assembling this album. Although the mix tape does not feature songs from some of Trekky’s veterans like The Never and The Beauregards, the album is still well-rounded. Considering that almost every Trekky band has shared its members with another at least once, it’s safe to say the album includes most of the members of the collective.
Overall, Amalgam is an upbeat and cohesive assembly, a result of the indie pop scene that Trekky Records has revitalized. For fans and new listeners alike, it’s a wonderful way to experience Chapel Hill’s indie past, present and future.
