John Laprade and The Unremarkables EP

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A few more EPs I found this weekend:


John Laprade “Blind”
John Laprade is a new voice on the scene, he scored some exposure on A&E with “Knock You Down” featuring Richard Lloyd and here is his debut EP. This song goes on sarcastically about stardom and it’s trappings, with Lloyd’s amazing guitar and Laprede’s soaring harmony. The title track, “Blind” is a terrific single, with hummable chorus and reminds me a little of Glen Tilbrook, Tommy Keene and Wilco. “Tennessee” is a little laid back country pop tune, with a bit of piano, harmonica and some nice drum work by Rich Pagano (Fab Faux). This is a prelude to John’s new LP coming soon, and it’s a good starting point.
My Space | CD Baby


The Unremarkables “21st Century Ghost”
I wasn’t too keen on this Norwich, UK group’s debut last year, but these guys keep forging onward and I am seeing improvement in both the songwriting and musical competence on this EP. The title track “21st Century Ghost” is a catchy crowd pleaser with plenty of layered guitar parts and resembles a cross between Tears for Fears, Aztec Camera and U2. “Heartache Cologne” is another highlight here with handclaps and strong guitar themes that showcase the improvements the band has made. This band deserves some attention, so guitar loving rock fans should listen up.
My Space | Itunes

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Vibeke and The Blue Sky Secret EPs

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I hope the turkey and football have satisfied all this holiday. Here are some new EP releases making waves recently:


Vibeke “From All of Me”
After a great debut from Vibeke it’s a nice follow up that arrives right on time for the holidays. “…From All Of Me” has everything you need in Christmas music, sleigh bells, choruses and melodic rock and roll, of course. “I Must Have Been So Good” is a great rockin‘ holiday theme, with a Pretenders-like guitar and vocals. “Mistletoe Kissing” is a high energy Christmas skiffle punk with rip roaring guitars and drum beat. Another highlight here is “A Christmas Carol (For The Losers In Love)” with a catchy melody and toe tapping beat. The song “Jingle Jangle Christmas” is a celebration of many Christmas themes, yet every song here is totally original. This stands along side all the great rock Christmas records, from The Kinks “Father Christmas” to Hall and Oats’ “Jingle Bell Rock” – Just like the liner notes say… “This is a proper Christmas Record!”
My Space | CD Baby

The Blue Sky Secret “What We Are”
Out of Nashville, TN comes both Ricky Free and Devin Burrell. It’s no secret here that these guys are a truest breathe of fresh air since Rick Altizer or Swirl 360. That both Ricky and Devin grew up in the heart of the contemporary Christian music scene just explains how these guys have such a gifted mastery of melodic rock. The opener “In Your Eyes” has a lot of great slickly produced melody and an angelic choral break. the follow up “11 Years,” has a simple guitar melody and a total radio play about romance. The highlight of the EP for me is “Six Feet Small” with it’s catchy chorus and layered guitars. Very much like a Jellyfish song, with Queen multi-layered guitars, it’s a real blast of greatness. Then “What Went Wrong” starts almost identical to McCartney’s “Let’em In” and then goes into another melodic gem of smooth pop with horn accents. The music isn’t overly preachy and a textbook example of how to do power pop right. It’s highly recommended here, so whens the full length LP, guys?
My Space | Itunes

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Deleted Waveform Gatherings "Baby Warfare"

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Deleted Waveform Gatherings – the musical meshing of Dipsomaniacs leader, Øyvind Holm from Trondheim, Norway takes the Rainbow Quartz psyche-pop sound and updates it with modern pop slickness. Taking cues from Guided By Voices and Gripweeds, the opener “Tiger Rider” is a great single with looping guitars and harmonies sure to please any power pop fan. “All Our Futures” and “Good As Gone” take a more alternative route, similar to Robert Harrison’s Future Clouds and Radar, or even a more poppy sounding Love and Rockets. The title track “Little Baby Warfare” gets better here as Holm’s vocals are less strained, and the driving guitar melody is supported by a collage of other instrumental tracks during the break. Sometimes the experimental bend of the instruments will drown out the melodies, like on “Mental Balance Movement” – do you need the drums to go spastic on a ballad here? And “The New Rain” feels like a GBV snippet extended to six minutes. Thankfully, by mid album the songs are more accessible. “Even A Black Cat” is a classic highlight here, with a great big melodic hook. A bunch of excellent songs end the album with the more positive pop of “Melt-Down Kisses,” the bittersweet ballad “Razor Light” and the wonderful Beatlesque “Backwards To Zero.” I think some fans will like the neo-pysche pop better than I did and others may find the more traditional songs too plain. It’s a toss up, but there is definitely something here for everyone, and the quality tunes here make this an album worth getting.

My Space | Not Lame | Amazon

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The Slingsby Hornets "Whatever Happened To…" (Includes Bonus EP "Knee Deep In Glitter")

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Jon Paul Allen has graced us with another Slingsby Hornets album. That means it’ll ooze glam guitar and thickly arranged melodic rock. Opening with pomp and majestic orchestral synths, “Way Of The World” is almost like Trevor Horn meets The Sneetches, with layers upon layers of jangle, upon a layer of dense rock guitars. Jon has dialed up the Brian May meter up to “11” here as those chiming guitars are front and center on the next track, “Rock N Roll Love Letter” and is the one of the best songs here. It’s dense and well suited to the slick production, so Queen fans will want to get this album for sure. The Hornets album still has plenty of covers, with the over-produced touch that makes T-Rex’s “Children of The Revolution” a lot of great fun, although Jon’s vocal gets buried here. Unfortunately, it doesn’t always work as well with the ballads, “Flying Tonight” and the Cars-like “The Long Way Home” plods along and could use a lighter production touch. This is done much better with the heartfelt “This Song,” and the best cover here is the spacey “Suspension,” the theme from the old Buck Rogers TV show (Jon exposes his geek cred here)! What’s extra cool here is the bonus EP “Knee Deep In Glitter” – the songs here really shine, as Jon lets his Glam flag fly and does Abba’s “Does Your Mother Know” in the style of Sweet. The other tracks here are excellent, from strutting guitars on “My Coo Ca Choo” to the awesome slick version of Cliff Richard’s “Devil Woman.” With only 5 originals, the covers here make this 2 disc combo worth the wait.  

Slingsby Hornets website | My Space | CD Baby | Not Lame | Kool Kat

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All Day Sucker "The Big Pretend"

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All Day Sucker is a band with a big California sound that grabs it’s influences from several places, but is more a great melodic rock than power pop album. The big opener “Life In The Passing lane” is a bit like The Red Hot Chili Peppers and Weezer combined. The very Rundgrenesque “Santa Ana” is another great song with a big chorus and hook that won’t let you go. “The Picture (That Took Me)” is a catchy song with a laid back Sugar Ray-like feel and a vocal performance that bringing to mind Elvis Costello. Core members, singer Morty Coyle and keyboardist Jordan Summers gives us an inspired take on the sounds of sophisticated classic rock with both muscle and heart. The guitars of “Land of Canyons” rip through the chorus like banshee – it’s another great rocker along the lines of Guns N’ Roses early work. “Strange Orbits” is a piano ballad with a little Elton John and ELO, and Coyle’s vocals here really soar. The latter half of the album sags a little but, it still has a few catchy fresh surprises with “Riddles and Rain” and the funky “The Man (From The Big Pretend).” The concept of the album, is a series of life’s observations in modern LA. Blessed with great songs, sharp chops, a cunning attitude and a mature sense of self, All Day Sucker is ready to venture into the seen-it-all music scene and emerge as a fresh, clever and unique musical presence.

All Day Sucker website | My Space | CD Baby | Not Lame

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