The Poster Boy “Bonjour, c’est Pop deux”
A follow up to the debut of this Hungarian band offers both improvement in song writing and performance. The band handles power pop perfectly on the heavy riffs and quiet/loud contrasts of “D-Day,” but the band changes its sound to more piano riffs and lighter guitars on “12:01,” similar to early Maroon 5. Next is one of the best songs here, “Spectre” is an amazing single with a sweet backing chorus and its catchy as hell.
The album gets softer as we move forward, “Another Person” is a mid tempo ballad that builds to a moving guitar solo at the close. The vaguely ’70s lite rock of “Raven Girl” is another enjoyable song, the solemn ballad “Down” is exactly what you think it is. Thankfully the guitars return on the six minute epic “The Waiting Room” and overall not a note of filler. Oh, and the title translates from the French, “Hello this is Pop 2.” Highly Recommended.
Dylan McGuire “Gravity (Or Lack Thereof)”
Philadelphia-area native Dylan McGuire is a singer/songwriter who just completed his newest album with up-and-coming local producer Brett Talley (of IKE). McGuire soaks in some of those IKE influences on the opener “Sunny and 71″ with a solid guitar hook leading the way. Its also pretty clear on”My New Wings” and “Try To Stop Me” that U2’s The Edge is a major influence. His style also reminded me of a mix between The Goo Goo Dolls and Matchbox 20 at certain points.
It helps that Dylan has a strong vocal, and is skilled composer as well. Both the hook filled chorus and guitar riffs kept me listening on the 5 minute “Wear It On Your Sleeve” and “Maybe This Time.” Dylan also has a great melodic instinct so its too bad we don’t get a ballad here. However, fans of soul searching anthems and guitar-centered rock will enjoy the entire LP immensely.
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