Brenyama “Euphoria Love”
From the great music capital of Highland Park, NJ, Brenyama is Richard and Maki Brenner, who, through the capable hands of producer Kurt Reil (Gripweeds) have created a hybrid Japanese/American power pop sound. The title track is a catchy single with the duo singing over a great hook.
I have to admit, the songs with them together a more fun, as “Things That You Do” and “Perfect Kind Of Life” are great pop tunes with a retro bubblegum spin on it. In fact, “Get In The Groove” is a dead ringer for a Jackson Five “hit.” Maki’s solo vocal efforts like “Inhuman” and “Overflowing Magic” owe much to J-Pop and Debbie Harry. For some, this might seem a bit too sugary but as a debut, it is still very impressive. Check it out.
Braddock Station Garrison “Saint Stephanie and the Stones”
This Washington DC 4-piece band return and this is another milestone as the group sound even tighter. “Mayday” is pretty solid middle of the road rock, and lead vocalist Steve Schillinger does a great job on the epic “Citadel On The Plains” and the too-shy guy’s theme song “Zero Confidence Level.”
At points, the band’s clear songwriting starts to resemble The Jayhawks with the title track. But the band can also turn up the fuzz guitar on “Hurry Up, Girl.” It runs out of steam past the mid-point, but this is still a band that deserves to be heard.