AMG Review of Turbo's Tunes

Jimmy Draper
All Music Guide

As Kill Rock Stars' second top-notch sampler in as many years, Turbo's Tunes is an utterly enjoyable intro to various punk and rock releases from the Olympia, WA-based independent label. Like its predecessor, 2000's Jackson's Jukebox, Turbo's Tunes features a slew of previously released material along with a handful of unreleased tracks -- this time by lesser known acts Danielle Howle, Sue P. Fox, and Sport Murphy -- and manages to provide a fairly comprehensive overview of the label's sounds, styles, and sensibilities. From the blues-punk numbers by the Gossip and Holly Golightly to Cadallaca's shimmy and shake shenanigans, there's nary a misstep throughout the album's entire 73 minutes. Which, at least for those familiar with most labels' mix-and-match compilations, is more than can usually be expected from such a sampler. Fans of Kill Rock Stars probably already have most of these 19 tracks, but anyone curious about the label and its acts should start right here.