Being given a variety of a record companys top artists and told to write an opinion on them is a daunting task for an amateur reviewer. She can't generalize about the tone of the album, all she can do is take each track, dissect it a little, and try to offer an opinion. Lobster Records GEMS is a strong compilation of fourteen artists with styles ranging from defensive garage punk to laid back acoustic.

The album starts out strong with Over It's Map of The World, a catchy tune with the solid theme of driving off into a proverbial sunset. Lilac, by Days Like These is good instrumentally, with heavy percussion and smooth guitars but the re-repeated chorus grew tiresome. Rosematter, the next artist injected a healthy dose of estrogen into the album. The vocalist had no trouble being heard over the bands intense guitars. Hearing something as pumped up and well done as Rosematter made me wish Lobster Records had a few more female voices to represent them, but I could say that for just about anyone in the Alternative Rock industry these days. The title of the next song caught my eye before I'd even heard a key,It's A Nice Night For a Fist Fight. Musically it was simple, save for the sporadic instrumental at the end, and the vocals were pleasant and strong. Inside The Outlines by Sicker Than Others starts out very edgy, with deep smooth vocals in the verses that sound like Alkaline Trio. However, when you hit the chorus a different vocalist jumps in and the tempo speeds up. My Generation by Whippersnapper is probably the most unexpected song on the record. While it's not bad, compared with some of the other artists it sounds like an outdated punk rawk mess. A Small Victory's Birds of Prey is one of the tunes that easily gets stuck in ones head. Actually, I've been humming it all day. Ironically, the song after it, In Heaven An Hour by Mock Orange, was not an initial favorite of mine. However, their dreamy tone is addicting. The style is completely unique, melodic guitars and drums clashed with sedated vocals, but the effect can best be described as nice. Anchors for Arms' Machines played an unexpectedly choppy rhythm, the song was more interesting musically than lyrically, because the melody ended up sounding smooth when all the elements were combined. Operation by First to Leave had a cool intro, and a spastic drummer. Quick by Starting Back begins heavily and the vocalist comes off as throaty and abrasive within the first two lines. As the song continues, though, the tone shifts from chaotic to more definite, but still rough around the edges. Roletta's Stories was one of my overall favorites, perhaps because the vocalist sounds like a less-folksy Bob Dylan, or perhaps because it was so relaxed and yet uplifting. Broken Record by The Awakened starts out with dramatic guitars that wouldn't sound out of place in an Atreyu single. But you won't find any screamo, here, just a bold rhythm and a vocalist that sounds like he also sings for The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus on the weekends. Back to the Warren by A Times Beach Crush Factor is a moody acoustic number thats undeniably pleasant to listen to; the best part of the song comes at the end with a cool harmony.

So there you have it. Lobster Records is home to an abundance of highly talented artists, each with their own elements to toss into the mix.

You can check out their Myspace at www.myspace.com/lobster.