The Tearaways EP and Magdalena CD

The Tearaways “Knackered”
The Tearaways are a long time Santa Barbara band selected as back up band for Badfinger’s Joey Molland at The Cavern Club and the 2007 Matthew Sweet Festival. Well the Badfinger influence fits this band well on this short EP. “Knackered” is a song about the experience in Hamburg. It a straight ahead rock song with a bit of attitude. The Badfinger sound comes through on “Not Gonna Make It” similar to those mid-tempo ballads on “Straight Up” with some great harmonies here. “Under the Bus” retains some of those Beatle-like qualities with a bit of hard rock rhythm. It only a few songs, but it’s a great start here. Another case of, bring on the full length album, guys!
Tearaways Website | CD Baby

Magdalena “Magdalena”
Clean sweeping pop is what Magdalena is all about. Kind of like Weezer without the snotty attitude, alt. fuzz and they traded the guitar in for a keyboard. Opening with  “The Resolution” and “A Chance to Follow” are straight forward songs with great vocal performances from Brandon Mains and Josh Kerney. “Making Things Right” is a highlight here with sweeping piano chords that reminds me of Hey Now, Morris Fader a little. The flamboyant “Want You (Real Bad)” isn’t as over the top as Scissor Sisters here, but it has a show tune quality that makes it irresistible. “Ashes to Ashes” gets even more dramatic and hits all the right notes, it takes a bit of Bowie and Blink 182 throws them together here. Some of the songs don’t distinguish themselves that well, especially toward the albums end. However, this is better than most music that is out there and Brandon Mains vocals could beat any “American Idol” I’ve heard recently.
My Space | CD Baby