The Honey Pies “Think Of England”
From Australia comes this vintage sounding 60’s fuzz rock band that’s a lot like a Starburst sour and sweet chew. It’s got a hard punk rock shell with a sweet chewy melodic center.
“Sex Wax” opens things up with blistering guitar rhythms and Freakbeat drumming. “Hair of The Dog” continues the manic pace until we get to the melodic “Get It Right” with it’s perfect blend of echoing vocals and harmonies, it’s a real highlight. You’ll also get some garage do-wop similar to early Kinks in tracks like “Don’t Mention The War” and “Diving Bell.” It’s all good stuff here, the band even manages to throw in some Merseybeat with “She Don’t Love You.” Stylistically it never is quite clean cut, and sometimes it goes for the throat with the punk rants “DQYDJB” and “Bossanova.” One of the most versatile bands I’ve heard this year, it will appeal to fans of both The Beatles and The Sex Pistols simultaneously.
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Tiny Animals “Our Own Time”
New York City power-pop trio (husband & wife, Chris & Rita Howerton, on guitar & drums respectively, and bassist Anton Kriesi) have already been veterans of TV music (like MTV’s Jersey Shore and The Real World) so it’s no surprise Our Own Time is a decent example of modern power pop.
Themes of love and breakup aren’t new, but the melodies here are non-threatening and several times you get enough smart hooks to draw you in, like on the great opener “Fight or Flight” and the bombastic “You Let The Whole World Down” full of heavy guitar riffs and floating backing vocals that weaves together a blanket of sound. “Wait For Me” has a nice dance beat with the chorus and a few more standouts have some really nice production like “I Don’t Need This Love” and “The Moment.” The band does veer into the mainstream a bit too much on “I Can’t Cry Forever” and “Nah Nah Nah” which seem like demos for some Disney ingenue. Hopefully Tiny Animals will do well enough to leave the formulaic behind in future releases.