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MIDWEST RUMBLINGS |
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MONTHLY COLUMN by David Allen Buco
First up is thefarewelldrive (yes, it is all one word, lowercase) out of Ann
Arbor, Michigan with their rather tasty five song EP –– If ‘Yes,’ Explain:.
Recorded in a five day stretch at Studio Chicago and engineered by
Martin Stebbing (KMFDM, Wilco, Stereolab), If
‘Yes,’ Explain: is a raw yet polished set of indie rock
‘n’ roll.
The first track, “Truth In Lies” opens with a hovering, quiet guitar and bass
melody building slowly into a power chord melodic rock tune not unlike Foo
Fighters.
My favorite track here is “Come
On Kid, Come On.” A little more pop oriented than “Truth
In Lies,” it nevertheless pounds with raw emotion.
A fine effort from a band I hope to hear more from! MY GRADE: B
Next up is SOULVASQ out of Hammond, Indiana with their four song EP –– The
Beauty, The Majesty, The Downright Arrogance of Soulvasq.
This is truly a unique band. Blending blues, jazz, funk, folk and
rock (not unlike Frank Zappa) –– they come up with a sound all their
own. Fat bass, tight (very tight) drum work, excellent guitar, atmospheric
to funky keyboards, nice vocals and wonderfully odd lyrics drive Soulvasq.
This goes way beyond “alternative” to create a yet-to-be-named
category. Fine work from a fine band!
www.i-55.com/~tigerfolly/soulvasq MY
GRADE: B Next is SIMPLE
SOMETHING with their three song demo CD. Like their previous demo, this one is full of emotion: in it’s music as well as it’s vocals.
Harder than I would have expected, the music here exudes emotion
like an open fire hydrant. Slammin’ guitar, beefy bass, super tight
drums, strong vocals and fine arrangements are what SIMPLE SOMETHING has
to offer their listeners. The most recent demo, combined with their previous demo, would make a fine beginning, to a full length gem of a CD. The name of the band may be a bit deceiving -- they are leaps and bounds beyond “simple.” MY GRADE: A
Next up is STIMULUS
ENGINE, with a four song demo CD.
One of the more interesting CD’s I have reviewed thus far this
year, Stimulus Engine blend an ‘80s Brit-Pop sound with American
Pop-Rock to come up with a surprisingly sophisticated sound, that is
loaded with commercial accessibility.
Each of the four cuts here are highly-charged pop-rock tunes that
could all be marketed as radio singles by a savvy A&R type.
If there is a real “breakout” song, it would have to be
“Power To Make A Difference,” which exhibits powerful, emotive
vocals, finely crafted songwriting, excellent production and superb
musicianship. This stuff is retro, yet new at the same time. I fully expect to hear from Stimulas Engine on national level one day, provided they can stay focused and continue to craft and record material of this caliber. Somebody somewhere sign this band! PLEASE! EIGHTY•94 out of Hammond, offer
up a four song demo CD. Though
this foursome has a full length CD under their collective belt (Parted
Down The Middle), this is the first time these ears have had the
pleasure of hearing any of their work. Obviously influenced by both the old and new schools of power/pop-punk (think Buzzcocks meet Green Day), EIGHTY•94 pull no punches. Searing rhythm guitar, jangly lead, an awesome rhythm section and top notch vocals -- these guys rival anything in the genre today.
They are currently putting the finishing touches on their second
full length release due in May, 2003. I eagerly await hearing it (and
their first release as well...hint, hint!) MY GRADE: B+ Our last Rumbler this
month is a two song CD sampler from VD6.
“Nothing Perfect” and
“Threw It All Away” are near
perfect rock ‘n’ roll tunes.
Produced and engineered by Doug
McBride (Frog Pond, Veruca Salt, Blank Theory), these songs are finely
crafted, well written and just waiting for some label to pick up.
Though there is an Incubus influence here, I could describe VD6 in
many different ways...melodic, heavy, sometimes dark, always emotive.
But none of these descriptions really capture VD6.
To “know” them is to experience them!
VD6 is the real deal and I truly cannot wait to hear more! MY
GRADE: A+
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Keep ‘em coming in! Do NOT forget to include a band bio! You can e-mail me at my new web address –– davidbuco@midwestbeat.com My old Yahoo! address is now out of commission. Send
demos (with artist bios) for review to:
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