“Wick Records Presents: Battle of the Bands, Vol. 1” 2020. Record Store Day limited edition release on black swirl vinyl. A comp of contemporary fuzzy psychedelic garage rock from the Wick Records label, the classic rock subsidiary of Daptone Recording Co. which launched in 2015. My top tracks are from the label’s premier band Mystery Lights: “What Happens When You Turn the Devil Down” (from their 2016 s/t LP) and “Someone Else is in Control” (from Too Much Tension, 2019). Both tracks have that classic slinky 60’s garage rock beat and lo-fi vibe. Also excellent are the rockers from The Ar-Kaics (I find their one-line description on Discogs super-funny and quite accurate: “They play 60s-style punk”) “She’s Obsessed With Herself” (on In This Time, 2018) and “Just My Life” (7″ single, 2016). I also really dig T. Benny & the Buzz Bros.’ Link Wray-esque instrumental “Gimme a Buzz” (7″ single, 2018) and Michael Rault’s two contributions “I’ll Be There” (from It’s A New Day Tonight, 2018) and “Sitting Still” (he and Ty Segall would be a killer line-up). I’m not crazy about The Jay Vons’ lounge meets supper club jazzy “Did You See Her” (7″ single, 2017), Johnny’s Uncalled Four waltzing in Hawaii-inspired “Daydream” or the sun-drenched super-hippie’d “Truth is a Needle” by Steady Sun (7″ from 2021) but the rest of this compilation is really excellent in a mega-throwback kind of way.