Tag: The Blood Rush Hour

The Blood Rush Hour and SLD

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Roger Joesph Manning, Jr.

The Blood Rush Hour “Sanity Fare”

Musician and songwriter Robert DeStefano returns with a new Blood Rush Hour LP. He’s recruited a fine group, including producer and musician Willie Dowling (Dowling Poole). The melodies are as grand and intricately constructed as those in a progressive operetta. The opener “Within This Tragedy” bounces along about the modern obsession with the spectacular, while “My Invention” is a chord progression and key change odyssey following a narrative stream of consciousness.

The band has two different lead vocalists. Joseph J. Tobias, Jr. is an effective vocalist on songs like “No One’s There (At All).” However, in songs with Scott Evans, his higher vocals soar on “Here We Go Again,” recalling a young Jon Anderson. The album’s second half (neatly split by an instrumental “Intermezzo“) doesn’t have as many highlights. But the songs are just as strong; “Billy Boy” and “Tunnel’s End” have gorgeous harmonies and soaring guitars. These songs need repeat plays to be appreciated. Fans of Skeleton Staff, Spygenius, and Martin Gordon (Sparks) will all enjoy this cerebral pop. Highly Recommended.

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Sounds Like Digging

SLD “Like Sunshine”

The duo of cousins Paul Costanza and Tom Parisi formed the band SLD (short for the original name “Sounds Like Digging”) The untimely passing of Tom in 2022 meant that gathering these songs was not an easy task, but a welcome reminder of both talents and their ability to craft dense, glossy 60’s-influenced rock.

“A Perfect Day,” “His,” and “Friend of a Friend” boast some great Beatles-styled guitar flourishes and codas. Other songs have moments of greatness, like “Like Sunshine” and “Matter of Time,” with their sunny minor chord shifts, but they lack the hooks needed to remain memorable. Paul’s lead vocals shine across the album, especially on the McCartney-like ballads “Anita” and “Cold Level Heart.” The DIY spirit is evident here, and fans of bands like The Toms will enjoy this collection of final songs by the duo. It remains music that deserves to be heard.

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The Blood Rush Hour and Coleman Gota

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The Blood Rush Hour “Who Folds First”

Robert DeStefano and his band The Blood Rush Hour excel at many diverse styles of music. They twist power pop, prog-pop, indie-pop and even operatic rock together seamlessly. The production techniques are flawless and they resemble studio masters like 10cc, Allan Parsons Project, Todd Rundgren, and Roger Joesph Manning Jr. (Jellyfish.) Who Holds First probably has some of the band’s finest songs.

Starting with “No More Excuses” it features harmonies akin to The Manhattan Transfer, between a strong guitar lead as Robert DeStefano delivering a scathing political commentary on our partisan stalemate. But as brilliant as DeStefano is, he occasionally goes out of his way to make the music esoteric like the elaborate “He Left The Party (Far Too Soon)” and rock opera castoff “Find Another Russian Dancer.” That doesn’t mean these aren’t good songs, but they seem over-worked on first listen. This is the definition of a “slow grabber” album that needs a few listens to fully appreciate. If “The Space That We Have Made” vocals sounds familiar that’s because it’s Christian Phillips (Sonic Executive Sessions) on lead and he makes this track shine.

“6,4,5, And Sometimes 1” is a catchy, wry commentary on today’s pop “artists” who are too lazy to write originals and “when the genius of creating is replaced by confiscating” other artists work. 10cc, Brian Wilson, and Donald Fagen are all sarcastically name-dropped here. “God’s Wall” is another winner with a memorable chorus.  The instrumental passages are nice (“On Folding”) but filler compared to the simple rock and roll earworm of  “I’m The One.”  Some very poetic orchestral balladry on “I Still See You” and “In Between Time” adds a dash of ELO-styled synths and soaring harmonies making it another highlight. “What Does It Take?” is a nice coda here, with Christian’s vocal giving a hopeful message. Overall Highly Recommended.

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Coleman Gota

Coleman Gota “Fear The Summer”

Coleman Gota’s latest is easily his most accessible album, with great guitar riffs on each tune. Coleman’s drawl is similar to Tom Petty and he’s embraced Petty’s sound as well on “Can I Get It Back” and “Call It Quits.” But Coleman is more than a sound-alike here, he’s mastered the heavy power pop riff on the catchy reverb-drenched “Fear The Summer” and the brilliant guitar-loving gem “What Goes On In My Head.”

It’s not all repetitive riffs,”For A Reason” is a blues influenced song about bad luck, with some great instrumentation and structure that reminded me of Randy Newman. Gota’s whole reasoning for music is explained on “Make A Stand,” just the simple musical statement “you wanna leave a mark, 15 seconds of fame its all you get today.” It’s also got a wicked solo in the break, and “One Mistake” is a more cautious message, with a compelling melody. Many of these songs aren’t that deep, but they have a sing-along quality to their repeating lyrics. Without a single note of filler this is a highly recommended album that might end up on my top ten list somewhere this year.

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The Blood Rush Hour and The Sunset District

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The Blood Rush Hour “And Then… The Unthinkable Happened”

I’d like to start off the new year with a great release, and The Blood Rush Hour has been happy to oblige.  “And Then…” isn’t a traditional album, but more like a power pop musical with a pile of great influences from Supertramp, XTC and especially 10cc. The theatrical opener “Hello (They’re Coming To Get You)” is a stunner with a choral verse halfway through. Production work is reminiscent of 10cc’s “Original Soundtrack” or Jackdaw4. “Hard To Put Right” blends seamlessly into the mix, you almost can’t tell when one song ends and the next one begins. No filler, although the songs are so dense they don’t hook you immediately and very few have repeating choruses. So take your time and hit repeat frequently.

Lots of highlights; “A Song That Some Sing” is a beautiful ballad by guest singer Christian Phillips (The Sonic Executive Sessions) and the tropical “Nicola” displays a keen melody with a sweet falsetto. “Dancing By Yourself” and “(The Day I Finally) Stopped The War” are closer to pop singles with immediate impact. The ending pair of “You Don’t Seem To Wonder Why” and “I See Something” use more synth and the compositions remind me of Trevor Rabin-era Yes (particularly on the latter song.) Songwriter/producer Robert DeStefano has got a special album here, and it isn’t unthinkable to add this into my top 20 list from last year. Highly Recommended.
power pop

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Rob Fetters

The Sunset District “The Sunset District”

This Atlanta, GA veteran band lead by John McNicholas gives us a fun debut that I missed last year, while it starts out a bit stiff on the opening (“We Can Stow Away the Sound Underground“) the next track “Candy Says” is warm and full of indie personality. You’ll hear the influences from REM to Fountains of Wayne, with the narrative structures of the catchy “I Will Always Be Your Man” showcasing a fine bass guitar lead.

The band gets a bit more aggressive on the fuzzy “Oh, Angelina!” and while not alt-country, its got that southern laid back charm, like on the duet harmonies with Kim Ware on “A Girl Like You” and “All Hail This Town.” I can definitely say that this band has potential, so check it out.
power pop

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The Blood Rush Hour “Shrink”

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The Blood Rush Hour “Shrink”
Welsh combo lead by Robert DiStefano, The Blood Rush Hour  is a carefully crafted pop album that draws from 10cc, Jellyfish and Andrew Gold. But this band doesn’t just take influences, it twists them in knots. “The Way Back Home” is a smart opener with keys, horn accents and a little theatrical guitar solo. A great example of the shifts in tone is “Into The Fire.” It starts with a beatnik beat and sax, then shifts into a harmony filled chorus with a guitar heavy hook. My favorite “Came To Believe” is a gorgeous melody, that sounds a lot like Supertramp mixed with Roger Manning Jr.

Nothing here is predictable, and its simply hypnotic. “Delme” and the bright “Portrait of Jane” are reminiscent of Klaatu. The fact that you have two distinct vocalists here means, that you’re taken a back when Peter Tomlinson’s “The Nancy Song” and “Upon Losing A Kindred” prove to be a pleasant surprise. The jazzy swing undercurrent is throughout the album, with brass and brush drum and piano – it pops up occasionally. Another gem here is “The Tale of Lancelot” with its minor chord melody and it all comes together on the end track “Show Me Yourself” which ironically is the most power poppy song here. Definitely one of the most inventive albums this year. Fans of the mentioned influences, Martin Newell and Spygenius will love this. Highly recommended.

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