Category: emerging artists

Monday Freebies: The Tonighters, District Attorneys and The Counters

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The Tonighters “Photograph” EP
A while back I let you all sample the new band The Tonighters. Well, Billy Gilbert and his band got enough interest from this blog, so he decided to pass along a new EP. And yes it’s also a FREE download from bandcamp. Seriously the band sounds better than ever – thanks!

The District Attorneys “Basement Sessions” EP
Here’s another hidden gem, Drew Beskin and his band have been prepping a new album, and these are some of the sessions, including a cover of “Wrecking Ball” written by Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings.  It’s also a FREE download from Bandcamp.

The Counters “This Doesn’t Mean We’re Friends”
This is a good combination album with a little power pop, folk and country sprinkled throughout. The London, Ontario band is basically musician Rupert Heath and his friends. Power pop fans will enjoy “When You Come Around” and  “New Orleans,” and if you like a bit of country try “Death Won’t Slow Me Down” and “Cowboy Song.” It proves that you don’t need to be a one-trick-pony as a musician. And it’s “Name-your-own-price” on bandcamp as a digital download.

Bunny Austin and Round About

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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.

CD Baby | Amazon

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.”

 CD Baby | Amazon

Japanese Power Pop Special! 日本のパワーポップ·ミュージック！

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Certain countries really embrace power pop as a viable genre; Sweden, Spain, Italy, Brazil, Australia and the UK are included. But Japan may have the most fanatical fans, as ex-members of the band Jellyfish (Jason Faulkner, Andy Sturmer) found growing adulation there. Even if its not English language, you’ll know power pop when you hear it – so I did a few quick reviews…

The Mayflowers “Bremen Rock ” and “Red Balloon”
We mentioned The Mayflowers last week, but after going through their past catalog, I had to showcase them again. They have a knack for borrowing great song parts and making it all sound highly original and enjoyable. After you get Plymouth Rock, come back and get the other LPs. Highly recommended, get the albums domestically at Jam Records.
My Space | Bremen Rock | Red Balloon | Thistime Records


Onepercentres “Daydreaming Horses”
This band actually played at IPO, they have a harder rock sound, very similar to Green Day, Gin Blossoms, and The Goo Goo Dolls. The put a ton of power into their performance and let those fuzzy riffs do the work. And they sing in English too!
OnePercentres website | Thistime Records


Scott Goes For “Scott Goes For”
Crisp tight melodic arrangements have made the band Scott Goes For very comparable to Skeleton Staff and The Wellingtons. The band members are all veteran musicians supporting pop indie bands Pains of Being Pure At Heart and The Wellingtons on tour in Japan last year. A local critic called their debut “… a masterpiece that should be engraved in the history of Japanese rock.”

Scott Goes For website | Thistime Records


Hello “First Full Album (munasawagi pocket)”
Well you can’t get more poppy than this! Jellyfish and ELO influences are really strong here, despite the lack of English (but some English comes out in a few verses). The chords and harmonies are impressive and undeniably joyous. The album title “munasawagi” translates to “premonition.” But you don’t need ESP to enjoy this superior example of J-pop.
Hello website | Thistime Records


We’ve come a long way from those days when all I knew was Puffy AmiYumi! Fun Fact: in 2008 in Osaka, Mike Viola and Bleu were surprise wedding guests, and played “That Thing You Do!” for the happy couple.

One Like Son and Vinyl Floor

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One Like Son “Start The Show”
The unique method of One Like Son, is that they recorded their 3rd album, Start The Show entirely on an iphone 3GS. Band members Stephen Poff (Vocals, Guitar, Bass, Organ) and Bill Rester (Vocals, Bass) dealt with the tedious details and restrictions of recording apps, but it sounds  just like they cut it in the studio. So much for the novelty — what about the music?

One Like Son has a classic fast paced rock sound, the heavy guitar riffs of the title track and “For a Good Time Call” remind one of The Gin Blossoms, Rooney and the Strokes. “Buried” has some nice harmonies in tandem with the guitars and “L.A.” was another highlight that tells a compelling story. While the guitars carry each melody here, by the time we get to “Father” it starts to sound a bit generic, with few hooks to keep me interested. But the energy level is high and sounds great in your car with the windows down.

Facebook | Amazon

Vinyl Floor “Peninsula”
Vinyl Floor is a 4-piece rockband which hails from Copenhagen, Denmark. The band combines both symphonic and indie influences to create epic compositions.  Comparable to Coldplay, Travis, Fun., and Oasis, the sound shifts around, but generally stays dramatic and melodic. The album’s concept is split between Utopia and Dystopia, and there after the long symphonic rock overture (“”Frames & Orchids”) I was impressed.

The piano pop of “Ghosts Of England” is ambitious in its scope, and develops into a grand anthem. “What Lies Ahead” has the guitar riffs leading the way here, and its the best song on the LP. The sweet acoustic ballad “Written in the Cards” with organ chords and strings supports the layered vocals. After this the album labors a bit with “Car In The Sky” as the vocal gets a bit lost here. Progressive elements in the next few compositions take over and “Diverging Paths” sounds like Chris Martin doing Procol Harum. “In The Air” has a solid hook in the melody here, but the remaining tracks struggled to hold my attention. That said, Peninsula is pretty good album, and an interesting musical find.

MySpace | Buy Direct | Itunes