Category: EP reviews

New Talent: Propeller, Love Messengers, Steelesque

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Propeller “Don’t be Sorry Again”
Greg Randall and Will Anderson are Propeller, born from the ashes of Varsity Drag, The Lemonheads and Unbalanced. This is the newest release full of crunchy guitars and dense rock rhythms. “Nothing” has solid hook and hand claps and it will dig its way into your brain. And each tune has the same sweet indie rock quality, so no filler here.

My only pet peeve here is the vocals are a bit buried, almost disappearing into the instrumentation. Best of all this album is a FREE download! Fans of The Replacements, Sugar, Lemonheads, Dinosaur Jr. and Teenage Fanclub will just love this. Highly recommended and you have no excuses!
FREE on Bandcamp

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Love Messengers “Dogsmile” EP
All the way from Finland comes Rock guitarist-singer Timo “Still Crazy” Pääkkö, eccentric organ-wizard Jussi Reunamäki, bassist Tarmo “Entwhistle of Eurajoki” Lehtonen and drummer Jaakko “Crazy Kid” Kotiniemi. These dudes play straight forward rock and roll with solid skills. “Dogsmile” mixes a soulful organ, guitar and heartfelt vocal. The B-side “Tarkka” has a Beatlesque beat with jangle filled Rickenbacker melody.
CD Baby | Amazon

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Steelesque “Johnny On The Spot” EP
Pittsburgh musician Rob Eldridge brought this band together, combining many varied influences. It starts rough with the tentative blues rocker “Hooker A” but doesn’t really brings the hooks till “Life Fast Wheel” with a catchy chorus and terrific rhythm work. The plodding “Raven Don’t Mind” reminds me of Blue Oyster Cult, as Eldridge’s effective vocals and lead guitar give the song real life.
Itunes | Facebook

Catching up with… Jamie and Steve

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Jamie and Steve “The Next Big Thing” EP
When we last heard of Jamie (Hoover) and Steve (Stoeckel), formerly with The Spongtones, they had become a duo with a English Afterthoughts. After much acclaim the two decided it was time for more, and in 2011 it was their Next Big Thing. The guys still have that Beatleseque style and it opens with the XTC-like “Seaside Sparrow,” full of pastoral plucking. “Can We Start Again, Girl?” once again is classic ‘Tones with an amazing middle eight. “Dancing On Ice” has a breezy chorus, but then the guys take a few chances on “Half A Mind” – where an angry rant contrasts with the singers sweet thoughts. An excellent group of songs, that’s followed up by…

Amazon | CD Baby

Jamie and Steve “Imaginary Cafe” EP
“Imagine a place,” Jamie said, “where our guitars are always in tune, our voices in great shape, the audience smiling after every song…the perfect gig. What would we call it?” That’s the premise of the title track, with a few Pepperisms thrown in. “Gold Mine” has a country rhythm, with fantastic beat and banjo picking. The gentle “Tokyo Sleeping” has some sweeping Brian Wilson styled harmonies at the song’s end. But unlike the previous EP experiment, “A Dangerous Man To Know” doesn’t quite work. They redeem themselves with “We Two,” a creative song that should be theme music for the duo whenever they take the stage. A highly enjoyable EP that makes a perfect pair.

Amazon | CD Baby

Crusaders of Love, The Maladaptive Solution and French Club

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Crusaders of Love “Take It Easy… But Take It!”
Hailing from Lille, France, Crusaders Of Love gives us a sonic power pop assault. Starting with “Never Grow Up” it’s part Ramones, part Plimsouls, with a generous helping of Big Star. The chiming guitars continue on “It All Ends that Way” and its all classic three chord riff style with a big bouncy Glam beat. It doesn’t do anything new here, but fans of early 80s punk (“Realm of Death”) or 60s jangle rock (“Next Summer”) won’t mind at all. Have a blast and do some air guitar to this one.

Amazon | Itunes | Bandcamp

The Maladaptive Solution “Heal” EP
Billed as “Middle Age Symphonies To God” the band is a collective of Brad Beard, Jimmy Haber and power pop legend Micheal Carpenter. It starts out of the gate living up to those lofty expectations with “Abacus (Count on You)” a rich blend of electric guitar and harmonies. The remaining tracks are also richly layered power pop, sounding a bit like The Gripweeds or Teenage fanclub. It’s a short EP with only 4 tracks, but definitely worth your time.
Amazon | Bandcamp

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French Club “Sh*t Talk”
French Club is a chaotic mix of rock, punk, ska with a melodic tilt that you don’t hear everyday. The title track is slow to start but then leaps into a rant with a lively horn melody in the chorus. The somber “October” follows this up with a duel vocal male-female lead followed by a harmonized wail. It goes full DIY punk on “In The Basement” with a spirited bass lead. This style is continued on “Jamaica” and “Rattle On” featuring the talented Lily Zwaan’s vocals. So, if you’re in the mood for something different, here it is.

Bandcamp | Facebook

FREE EP Downloads: Sons of Great Dane and The Susan Constant

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Sons of Great Dane “You Can’t Lose It All At Once” EP
Sons of Great Dane have been busy since the last time we reviewed them. Consisting of Brent Windler ( Guitar, Vocals), EvanJohn Nash McIntosh (Guitar), Nolle Bond (Bass) and Brendan Culp (Drums) they are producing some excellent music, showcasing both alt. country and power pop.

The opening track “To A City I Have Known” is a solid example of how they build a riff-filled, harmonic gem. Then the laid back “Love, Desire, Failure”shuffles along to the Big Star like chorus and guitar fill between each verse. “Approximately 18th St.” is a stream of consciousness rant that runs out of breath… and starts again. Look for a new full length soon, as this is an excellent appetizer to make you hungry for more.

Name your own price on Bandcamp | CD Baby

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The Susan Constant “Shapes” EP
Boston’s The Susan Constant continue to write impressive indie pop, and the new EP Shapes goes the extra mile, drawing from the live shows they are known for – it building excitement with epics like “Draw Us All” or short rocking blasts like “Locked Up.” The sounds are textbook alt. guitar led goodness similar to REM. It ends with “Midwestern You,” a U2 styled arena ballad that builds to a vocal crescendo. And you can’t beat the price.

Name your own price on Bandcamp | Artist Website

 

Alex Vans and Rachel Brown

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Alex Vans “DJ Booth”
Alex Vans starts DJ Booth with a synth bass beat on “Good Enough,” as guitar hooks bring to mind T.Rex or Bowie with a danceable melody worthy of Abba. The next song “Chase The Night” is another perfect example of this, the mixing of old influences skillfully into something fresh.

It veers into alt. country on “Saints” and Vans proves he’s a skilled composer of mood and lyric on the albums best track “Hideaway.” Parts reminded me of The Brian Jonestown Massacre’s early stuff, with a better, slicker pop surface. Highly recommended and a great new LP for 2013.

Bandcamp | Amazon | Alex Vans website

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Rachel Brown “Building Castles” EP
Brown has an soft voice, along the lines of Zooey Deschanel or Norah Jones and knows her way around a pop hook. “Bumblebee” is a hummable pop confection, sweet as honey. Then a subtle hip hop beat is used for “Four Leaf Clover” that’ll stick in your head. “Rockstar” uses unusual percussion that builds to its bouncy chorus.

These first 3 tracks are the most impressive, and then the instrumentation nearly vanishes on “Your Little Act” and “On Your Side” to focus on Rachel’s voice. She is a major talent in the making, so catch her now before the inevitable indie superstardom (along the lines of Nataly Dawn).

CD Baby | Amazon