Just as French fries and French toast provide me with my limited/non-existent knowledge of France, Belgian waffles have served the same purpose with relationship to Belgium. I'll admit that I can't remember the last time I consumed a Belgian waffle, but not to fear, Belgian independent label has just released a compilation featuring 13 of the label's bands over 15 tracks. The collection, which includes a multimedia disc, precedes releases from Starfighter and Dr. Pepper Family slated to be released in the near future.
The label isn't afraid to make claims related to its willingness to innovate and break new ground. 's signing of 'T Hof Van Commerce, which has two tracks featured on Hot Collection, is evidence supporting the label's claim that they were the first to believe in Flemish hiphop; after listening to "Dommestik&Levrancier" and "Kom Mor Ip", I'm not quite sure that I'm ready to believe in it yet.
More amusingly, states that they "announced the revival of pure rock'n'roll long before 'The White Strokes'." While this claim can be filed in the same bin with Gore's assertion that he invented the information superhighway, it does reveal that the label is willing to rock. De Bossen's "Speed Queen" is a rough, bass heavy track reminiscent of The Breeders, while "Skahara" by The Whodads and The Revelaires' "Intoxica" explore ska and surf-rock. founder Lucce Waegeman makes an appearance on the compilation as drummer of Sexmachines on the track "On Stage", a somewhat spazzed and danced out tune centered around a simple, yet catchy, guitar vamp.
Of most interest, however, are the tracks from Starfighter and Dr. Pepper Family that while not providing songs from the future releases do give the listener a taste of what to expect. Dr. Pepper Family's "Caught It Found It" is a somewhat shadowy concoction in line with that odd feeling you get after waking from a nap thinking it is the next morning while Starfighter exercises their power-pop skills with "About You" and "Beautiful Machine".
While not necessarily the Encyclopedia Britannica of Belgian music, Hot Collection does offer more about the varied Belgian indie scene than could be provided by a Belgian waffle. And although bands like Starfighter and Dr. Pepper Family may not enter the hipster's lexicon anytime soon, I'll definitely be looking forward to 's next two releases.
