MTV2 Handpicked
There have always been at least two meanings to the words "alternative rock"- -hat the indie kids consider to be left of the mainstream dial, and what MTV considers to be to their left. MTV's version usually incorporates artists that have already received tons of press and are pretty much part of the mainstream already. Even MTV2, supposedly the hipper sibling of the original, plays it very safe with new artists.Handpickedis MTV2's collection of what it calls "fast-breaking talent," but there's no smoke and mirrors here--most of these bands and songs have already been played a ton by both by MTV and commercial radio. Represented are heavyweights like Radiohead, Brit crooners Coldplay and Travis, singer-songwriters David Gray, Pete Yorn, and Ryan Adams, and comedians Tenacious D. There are also a few acts more realistically called newcomers, such as Mystic and Lostprophets. (And then there is Cake, who had their time in the sun years before this compilation came out.)Handpickedis an extremely straightforward album--these are the acts that MTV2 has put in heavy rotation at one time or another and don't fit in the nu-metal, rap-rock, or teen pop genres, making this album a condensed soundtrack for the channel's 2001 broadcasts.--Jennifer Maerz