Category: emerging artists

The Pretty Faces "Another Sound"

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Canadian trio The Pretty Faces is not just a band, but a family unit with a passion for garage pop and new wave rock. They’ve toured on IPO and cites influences from Elvis Costello to Elliot Smith. The opening track “Right On The Money” pretty much describes the best this band has to offer, with a great tandem of guitars and melody. The follow up “Rib” has a decent rhythm and ringing guitar riffs sure to please. Lead vocal Jeph Thorslund does his best, but can’t mask his limited range on tracks like “Inch by Inch” and “Pistolera.” Hannah Thorslund fairs much better on the excellent “Elephant” – and it’s a shame she is only on one track. The title track gets closer to a full band effort with Jeph’s  Costello-like vocal and strong riffs taking equal credit. A good effort, but the band will need to improve on it. It’s recommended you cherry pick the “hits” here and encourage the band’s future musical development.

MySpace | CD Baby | Amazon

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Some holiday leftover reviews…

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I heard a few worthy albums and emerging talent toward the years end that deserves some attention even though it’s not strictly power pop. Here are some groups you might want to check out.

V Sparks “Biscuits and Tea” EP

Mix togther equal parts of Mika and T. Rex and you get the baroque styled glam that is the known as V Sparks. This is an excellent, short EP that crackles with energy and over the top pomp with the opener “On My Arm” and the thematic title track which fans of Bryan Scary and Queen would flock to easily. Best of all it’s FREE through Noisetrade – so spread the wealth!
MySpace | Noisetrade

The Stagehands “The Silent City “

The musical drama show Glee was pretty popular last year and this production is a pretty good comparable effort, although not power pop. Stagehands is not just a band, but also a theatrical production which combines the sound and storytelling of Broadway with the power and excitement of rock. They do make use of plenty guitars and beats for songs like “Sailor Man, Sailor Man” and “The Threat.” It’s got something for everyone, and you can name your price on Bandcamp.
MySpace | Stagehands | Bandcamp

Rocket To The Moon “On Your Side”

One of the better emerging young bands I’ve heard recently, this debut is full of fine pop tracks. Hailing from Braintree, Massachusetts this emo quartet is lifted by lead singer Nick Santino’s vocals. “Mr. Right” and “Annabelle” have an almost innocent teen pop feel that those Jonas guys lack. The standout for me was the mid-tempo country pop of “On A Lonely Night” and the ballad “Like We Used To” is a song that’ll make the teen girls swoon. Otherwise the album isn’t that cohesive and feels like a collection of singles and genre experiments (“Sometimes”). If you liked PushPlay this will fit in to your music mix nicely.
MySpace | Itunes | Amazon

Breakers Broken “Reset” EP

Something really different here – a mix of dance funk and indie pop from this Chicago outfit. Vocalist Tim Yamaya almost channels Michael Jackson for “Last Man On The Planet” and the beats and bass work are very catchy here. Not everything here sticks, but it does enough and the great instrumental work (like in “The Climb”) is just mesmerizing. It does create a powerful soundscape of genres fused together and why not give it a shot? Get a FREE sample download here.
MySpace | Amazon

Moruza “Moruza”

The band name is pulled from frontwoman and songwriter Leslie Moruza Dripps. Again this is considered more indie-jazz influenced piano pop, but it’s a treat for listeners who dug Clare and The Reasons last month. It’s Leslie’s compelling vocal and melodic gifts that make the opener “Lonely Heart Road” a winner. The arrangements are sparse, with plucking strings and piano, so you can concentrate on the lyric and melody. Other highlights include the see-saw rhythm of “Psychic Soy” and the folksy percussion of “Bad Man.” The vocals get layered on “Garden In The Sand” and it’s almost a Renaissance-style waltz. Much of the album’s tone is somber, but it’s not all serious, as “Penny” is a bouncy pop gem here. Clearly better than most jazz pop out there, but I wonder how Moruza would fair with a fuller orchestral treatment. Maybe the next album…
MySpace | CD Baby

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Please Do Not Fight and Hollands

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Please Do Not Fight “Move” EP

The four piece band Please Do Not Fight have an quirky indie rock sound with heartfelt emotion, not unlike Death Cab For Cutie. Lead singer Zen Zenith has a tortured vocal that resembles Adam Marsland or Ben Folds. No pissed off angst here, just a calming presence when needed for most of the album. Highlights include the well constructed “I Will Not Forget” and the subtle zen ballad “BAMF.” The addition of synth and violin adds to the infectious atmosphere here. Another gem is “Up Up Up” where it resembles a great straight up alt. pop single and Zen rises to the occasion here. “Hard To Tell” is a solid narrative that starts out “I think I’m drunk, but I’m behind the wheel again…” and it’s another excellent tune that ends a solid EP.

MySpace | CD Baby


Hollands “Mother” EP

This Brooklyn band mixes rock, punk, folk a bit like Radiohead meeting 10cc in a bar and jamming to Phish. It’s not that accessible on first listen. But give it a chance. The ELO-like touches and electric bass lines add to the majesty of the opener “Air Conditioned Heart.” It’s a big sound that pushes lots of buttons and the follow up is the slower “Cheerio!” that approaches greatness with it’s Pink Floyd reverb dirge and again that great bass rhythm. The next song, “Just Like Them” is a study in contrasts: John-Paul Norpoth’s vocal resembles a Ray Davies ballad, now add a loud punk noise break in the middle. It’s jarring and unpredictable, as is much of the album. “Jackie” is the EP’s highlight, with a well played guitar lead, chorus/verse combo and a laid back hook. If these guys decided to focus on the melody more often like in “Jackie” it would have worked better. What we get are flashes of brilliance that surface every now and then. I would keep my ears open for more.

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Major label reviews: PushPlay and Mayday Parade

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PushPlay “Found”
Time to see what talent the major labels are pushing through. Produced by Matt Squire (Panic at the Disco) Long Island natives Push Play would like you to toss your Jonas Brothers CDs in the trash and “Watch it Burn.” While the opening track is a nice buzz guitar pop song, it enters boy-band faux-soul with “Midnight Romeo.” Lead singer CJ Baran has a good lead vocal and the band plays well together as tight quartet. There is a bit of good pop funk here in “Taking It Back” and the mature lyric on “My Everything” takes the band out of the cliche department. In addition, “See My Soul” is a song that stands as an excellent example of a modern up tempo pop, and “Start Again” is a nice arena styled crowd pleaser to end off the album. Unfortunately too many songs here sound like cookie cutter pop fluff (“Covergirl” and “Barely Legal”) and the band needs a few more hooks in the material to make it memorable. On the other hand, if you’re an typical teen you’re welcome to ignore this review.

MySpace | Lala | Itunes | Amazon

Mayday Parade “Anywhere But Here”
It’s good to see the major labels cultivate talent, and this band has made steady progress from a rough punk pop outfit to a polished pop powerhouse along the lines of Green Day or Bowling for Soup. Fans of the older Mayday Parade may miss the dual vocal leads of the past, but this is the major leagues, kids. The band has matured with a nearly non-stop tour schedule, including co-headlining the Alternative Press’ tour “The Fall Ball ’09”. This is modern alternative pop with an accent on Derek Sanders powerful vocals and it’s chock full of solid melodies. The Tallahassee-based band stands out right away with a big hook in the chorus of “Kids In Love.” It follows with the earnest guitar lead “Bruised and Scarred” and most of the other tracks here have a solid song structures and excellent musicianship. The album suffers a little from a few middle of the road power ballads that don’t stick in your head too long. However, when these guys it crank up, like on “Center of Attention” and “The End” you will be glad to add this to your ipod playlist.

MySpace | Lala | Itunes | Amazon



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Blind Pilot "3 Rounds and a Sound"

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Music critics are falling all over themselves on these guys, as they are true modern troubadours. Blind Pilot follows a folk pop that draws from both Elliot Smith and Death Cab for Cutie. These Portland natives, Israel Nebeker and Ryan Dobrowski will charm you with the big hit “Go On Say It” (it was a featured Itunes free single last year). Fans of alt. folk pop will enjoy the simple acoustic beauty of the gentle strummed “Paint Or Pollen” and the muti-tracked sobering vocals on “Poor Boy.” One can’t always get around the obscure lyrics, but the quality musicianship and haunting atmosphere bring to mind a few rustic settings from the banjo accented “Oviedo” to the shuffling “Two Towns From Me”. Fans of The Jayhawks, Jens Lekman and Snow Patrol will all be comfortable with this one. Blind Pilot is currently wrapping up a summer tour, which included opening slots for The Decemberists, Andrew Bird and the British rock band Gomez.

MySpace | Itunes

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