Bunny Austin “Shadow Life”
Bunny Austin is the name of a Birmingham, Alabama band with a garage and power pop inspired sound. Bunny Austin is made up of Charles Arndt (Plaid Camels) on guitar and vocals, Rich Albright (Altamont, Muddy King) on bass, Tony Oliver on keys, and Tommy Prewitt (Month of Sundays) on the drums. The strong guitar fuzz is prominent on the opener “God Alone” and the radio friendly “Sparks” has a little of The Rolling Stones in its DNA. The next several tunes are decent, but nothing here impressed me until the handclap beat on “I Can’t Take It No More.” The song has a good hook here and resembles the Knack a bit. That riff heavy power pop sound is also welcome on “Make It Last For Now.” So overall a few keepers here, but nothing else that really stuck with me.
Round About “Hanging By A Thread”
Washington DC band Round About’s debut album features some stellar guitar solos by Will Potts on the opening track “Partners In Crime.” The same template is found on the first few compositions where the melody is punctuated by Potts noteworthy electric riffs. Songs are well written for the most part. Unfortunately the problem here is lead vocal Patrick Garrity, who’s understated, unemotional performance undercuts the “rock” songs here. But for a few songs, like the jazzy “Hanging By A Thread” and soft pop of “Grateful For A Glance” Garrity’s hushed vocal is kind of like Al Stewart on Xanax. Potts guitar solos are all but gone by the albums mid-point, but the best collaboration of his guitar and Garrity’s vocal is the standout “Close To Home.”