Et Tu Bruce “Suburban Sunshine”
West London meets West Coast in this great example of harmony laden pop. “Dress Me Up In Bruises” is an excellent opener, full of solid guitar riffs and an upbeat melody. The harmonized vocals of “Never See You Cry” bring to mind The Association, the catchy composition hooks you as well as the flawless musicianship.
This continues with the jangle fueled “Miracle Crash” and the weird mantra “Never Say Trevor Again.” The band does delve into folk pop with “The Turning Of The Screw” which is so sweet natured it’s sure to turn off today’s jaded music critics at SXSW. And it even gets into psychedelic rock at the end of “It’s All Nothing.” Overall the album is highly addictive and even if few songs overstay their welcome, its tons better than most bands can deliver. Makes my year end top ten too.
The Unswept “Surf Song” EP
Cousins Charlie and Ryan O’Brien are originally from Sheffield, UK but moved to Chicago – and will soon be appearing at Dave Bash’s IPO festival. The guys have a clear case of Beach Boy envy on “Surf Song 89” with it’s Spectorish wall of sound and the danceable “She’s So Cool” layers high treble strums over a solid backbeat. The 60’s retro sound on this 4 track EP is a charmer although the echo is thrown on a bit thick. Traditional Brit pop with a twist.
