By DCist Contributor Alex Tebeleff
The diversity of D.C.’s music scene is both its greatest strength and its greatest weakness. Taken as a whole, the amount of quality music across genres coming out of this city is pretty stunning, but musicians in different genres aren’t always aware of each other. It creates an environment that’s eclectic and open-minded, but also makes it difficult for even the best bands to find wider audiences in the city outside of their scene.
Sounds Like Love —a new charity compilation compiled by Jason Mogavero, one-half of “D.C.’s socially conscious diss-track electroclash duo” Jack on Fire—is a wonderful bridge into a part of this diversity, drawing groups from all over the city’s musical map. Mogavero’s choices for the comp come from his years of experience as both a performer and a teacher. In an interview with DCist, he describes the compilation as “a bouillabaisse of all the vital, vastly different music being made in our city.” Though it misses a few music worlds essential to D.C. (where’s the jazz?), it’s nonetheless a comprehensive and diverse album.
The compilation benefits the World Missions Extension Center, a small church in Bloomingdale run by Dr. Joann Perkins where Mogavero volunteers. The church aims their charitable actions towards improving the lives of those in the inner city, with a particular focus on youth. Besides setting up events to help raise money and feed at-risk children, Dr. Perkins visits incarcerated youth on weekends, organizes mentoring, tutoring, and scholarship opportunities, and assists victims of domestic violence.
Inspired by Perkins’ work first hand, Mogavero created this compilation as a way to further expand the fundraising abilities of the church. He says he realized that “rather than have one event that only a limited number of people could attend, why not have something online that could reach a much bigger audience?” From this idea, Sounds Like Love was born.
As far as the music itself, the bands almost all chose to submit some of their better material, making for a great listen throughout. Incredible Change’s “Branching Out” shows a strong growth in aesthetic and songwriting from Ra Ra Rasputin frontman Brock Boss, while Puff Pieces “New Nazis” shows why the post-punk trio are one of the most interesting bands in D.C. right now, with a frantic bounce in the rhythm section holding down a baseline for the anxious vocals delivering paranoid lyrics.
Insect Factory’s “Flood” is a solid choice to represent the District’s vibrant experimental music community. Hearing “Flood” only a few tracks after the practically perfect electro pop of Miyazaki and the electronic psychedelica of Diverr are what make this compilation work, especially for those listeners who listen to music regardless of genre or style.
Sounds Like Love continues the D.C. tradition of using music as a tool to not only create awareness of social issues, but to directly help people in need. Bands like Fugazi and groups like Positive Force made music a powerful tool for good in our city, and this compilation is a new model for the digital age. For anyone new to the D.C. music scene, it should also act as a solid introduction into just some of the many interesting local musical projects active right now. Also, if you need some essential workday jams to get you through the week.
You can stream “Sounds Like Love” below and purchase it for $9 here. All proceeds benefit the the World Missions Extension Center Christmas toy drive.
