Indie labels sure are milkin' this 10 Year Anniversary thing. Merge, Warp and Matador all have spankin' new compilations to prove their roster as the most influential, the most widely respected or the most diverse around. There's no doubt that Matador has been very good to us over the years, bringing up some of the most legendary indie rock bands of the decade-- Yo La Tengo, Pavement, Guided by Voices, Chavez and Pizzicato Five. But let's not forget all the bad times we shared. Who wants to own records by bands like the Shams, Bassholes, the Toiling Midgets, or the Demolition Doll Rods?

The New York label's new 10 Year anniversary package, Everything is Nice, makes for a pretty bizarre sampling. In a lot of ways, it seems like a random selection of songs that draw mostly from Matador's last five years. But perhaps there's a reason for that. What's Up Matador, a similar compilation released back in 1997, crammed 24 of the imprint's greatest moments of all time, along with 20 additional slices of rare songs onto two discs and sold it for $9.99. All the good stuff was represented. But they can't very well release the same compilation two years later.

Like What's Up Matador, Everything is Nice is specially- priced-- you can usually find it for under $12. The big question is: "Are we getting our money's worth?" Simply put, no. Instead of getting a ton of great songs, you get a few bad songs, a few mediocre songs, and a (very) few great songs you likely already own. This is not wall- to- wall brilliance. People that should be represented here-- Liz Phair, Superchunk, Unsane, Bettie Serveert, Silkworm, Spoon, the Fall, Railroad Jerk, the Frogs, and SF Seals-- get the shaft. Instead, we're presented either with tracks from less- inspiring new signings like Non Phixion, the Wisdom of Harry, Arab Strap, and Pole, or songs off the Warp roster (for which Matador handles stateside distribution). Dude, if I want Warp stuff, why wouldn't I pick up their 10 Year Anniversary compilation?

Sure, there are a couple of decent tracks mixed in just to keep you interested-- Pavement's "Stereo," Yo La Tengo's "Sugarcube," Unwound's "No Tech," Guided by Voices' "Official Ironman Rally Song," and Cornelius' "Count Five or Six." But, for your $12, you mainly get what amounts to two promo label samplers, and a new disc of tossed- off b-sides and live tracks. (Honestly! If, after all the extraneous Blues Explosion comps on Matador and K, there remains a Jon Spencer track that hasn't been released yet, it must be absolutely horrific.) Why drop your cash on such a sub-standard marketing ploy when you could buy Slanted and Enchanted for less?

-Ryan Schreiber