Jade Tree's first sampler "Location is Everything Vol. 1" (JT1075) is economically priced and designed to provide a definitive overview of the label's output. 16 of the CD's 23 tracks dip into Jade Tree's catalog of recent and forthcoming releases with songs by NEW END ORIGINAL, STRIKE ANYWHERE, DENALI, ONELINEDRAWING, TRIAL BY FIRE, OWLS, and many more. This sampler also features seven never-before-released songs by JETS TO BRAZIL, THE PROMISE RING, PEDRO THE LION, MILEMARKER, GIRLS AGAINST BOYS, MIIGHTY FLASHLIGHT, and PAINT IT BLACK.

Four new songs by Milwaukee's patron saints of prolificness. "Strictly Television," though originally recorded for the Very Emergency (JT1043) sessions, harks back to THE PROMISE RING sound of yore, while the remaining three tracks continue in their current power pop tradition. Further proof that this veritable indie rock institution are in it for the long haul—and further.

Time breeds sophistication, and as the THE PROMISE RING usher in over half a decade as a band - no small feat in an industry of quick burnouts, mind you - they also bring a new noise. Using a wide palette of inspiration that renders depth and revelation to the band's already distinguished character, Very Emergency (JT1043) finally delivers on what previous recordings have only hinted at - namely, a deepening appreciation for songcraft and the realization that a great pop record can be both simple and smart.

Three new tracks, including the ever popular, "Tell Everyone We're Dead." A delicate departure from previous efforts, this EP bridges the post-punk THE PROMISE RING with the unexceptionable power pop incarnation they had yet to unveil - a tasty mélange that is extraordinary in its own right.

If there was ever a straw that broke a camel's back, this was it. The kids had their say and, for once, they agreed on something. Everyone from SPIN Magazine to MTV's Matt Pinfield was marveling over this record. THE PROMISE RING themselves were catapulted from the tiny basement scene into the, erm, bigger basement and club scene. And we here at Jade Tree sold millions of records and never had to work again. Well, okay, that last part isn't true, but if there were any justice in this world, it would be.

Is a less-than two year existence entirely too early to release an anthology CD? Not when you're THE PROMISE RING and you've already chalked up two singles, a split 7", and a couple of new songs that you're just dying to release because it's been, oh, only a few months since your debut full-length LP hit the shops. Apparently, these guys have no idea what it means to go resting on your laurels.

When you're hot, you're hot, and THE PROMISE RING were on an unstoppable creative roll as they prepped to release their debut album for Jade Tree and third release in less than a year. Being productive, however, certainly failed to drain the band's seemingly endless well of quality songwriting, as this album - which gave Cherry Coke and John Taylor entry into the post-punk lexicon and inadvertently lavished the art of the pop music handclap with a renewed lease on life - convincingly attests.

Originally recorded to accompany a U.S. tour in 1996, Milwaukee's PROMISE RING team up with the New York City-based TEXAS IS THE REASON for a split 7" that still goes up for serious loot on internet auction sites everywhere despite the fact that it never went out of print and is available right here. Fairly outlandish, for sure, but we can understand why. THE PROMISE RING offer a slightly out-of-character track called "E. Texas Ave" that packs more punch than pop, while TEXAX IS THE REASON contribute a mournful number called "Blue Boy" - the final track they recorded before breaking up, still exclusive to this EP only.

Who could have known that this record would, in retrospect, become merely the first step for the long and celebrated career of one of indie rock's most beloved bands? Well, okay. We had a hunch. You don't have to be psychic to figure out that "A Picture Postcard," for example, was only a glimpse of great things to come - so much so, in fact, that the band have yet to play a single show without its inclusion even six years later. Talk about timeless, eh?