Holmes and London Egg

Holmes “Covers” 
When it comes to cover tunes, I feel unless you approach it with a unique POV you may as well listen to the original song. There are numerous horrible examples of Beatles covers out there that I wish I never heard. On the other hand when covers are done right I really appreciate the artists style. Good recent examples are from Michael Carpenter and Matthew Sweet.  I would definitely add Holmes (aka Roy Shakked) to this list. The range of covers he has chosen here is truly eclectic, from Ice Cube to ELO. Opening with “It Was A Good Day,” I hardly recognized it, because it was played as a sunny pop tune. In many cases, the style performed is the direct opposite of how it was written (Depeche Mode’s “Wrong” using a bluesy guitar riff or Elvis “Don’t Be Cruel” as a slow ballad) and in the process makes them like Holmes originals. This opens up the song writing to a totally new interpretation, and my favorites here are “That’s All (Genesis),” Why Didn’t You Call Me (Macy Gray)” and a totally cool a capella version of ELO’s “Mr. Blue Sky.” This is a fun collection that’s highly recommended.

London Egg “In The Beginning…”
Here is a Brooklyn band with a real fetish for 60’s and 70’s Brit-rock. This is a decidedly lo-fi debut but it’s got lots of potential, like The Troggs doing power pop with fuzzy chords everywhere. “Richocet Beloved” is an early highlight, very much like Oasis. Unfortunately for every impressive track like the exciting Mod tune “Everyone But You” you get an underbaked demo like “Sister Deatmeat.” You have to give the band credit for a good effort on songs like “Sunnyside Gardens Park” with it’s garage rock atheistic and pysche-pop atmosphere. But despite this effort, the sound quality may turn off some listeners. With no label or distribution, the album is only released to fans who send an e-mail with “I WANT SOME LONDON EGG!” in the subject line. I was told that the band is working on a new album using modern recording techniques. Let’s hope they get a proper album out soon, they deserve it.