| CD REVIEW: TSM/ SLW Promotion special, November 2010, Part 3 : Smell My Pillow – The Hot Rails – The Sins – Tubefreeks – X Contract – Yen Harley |
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TSM/ SLW Promotion special, November 2010, Part 3 : Smell My Pillow – The Hot Rails – The Sins – Tubefreeks – X Contract – Yen Harley Third TSM/ SLW Promotions special this month, making the count of reviewed bands from that agency come to 20 for this month alone! Not all of 'em were big successes, and as a matter of fact I guess this batch has one of the biggest disappointments in the history of the agency, so far. In this special, you'll find quite a few American bands: Smell My Pillow (Minneapolis, Minnesota), The Hot Rails (Cleveland, Ohio), The Sins (Seattle), Tubefreeks (Baltimore area, Maryland), with X Contract and Yen Harley being the only non-American bands, respectively from Denmark and Holland. Enjoy your acquaintance with each of 'em! -------------------------------------------------- Founded in 2007 by guitarist Marc “Kwall” Kowalski, this Minneapolis (Minnesota) based band is composed of singer Mike Matheson (before hooking up with Marc he's just pick up the mike with any band that would let him sing a song or two – calls himself a “karaoke whore”), Marc [started playing guitar at the age of 8, member of a very musically active family – his former bands include Boston based Deck 'O Squares (with former members of Human Sexual Response, Modern Lovers, the 2X4's, and The Classic Ruins), LeeKy BeeTs, Retail, Tim Mahoney (actually his brother), and several other side projects], bassist Brian LaMere (tenures with such bands as 8 Foot 4, Kenny McMahon And Friends, The Groove Rule, and Donkey Patch), and drummer Troy Berg [the most recent addition to the line-up, having joined only in January 2010, has been playing hi instrument since the age of 8 and was in his first band at the age of 13 – played with several bands in the Twin Cities area (that's Minneapolis and St. Paul) including touring band St. Cry, Droplet, and Progressive Rock act Produkt...and is still playing with Greg Herriges, whom was also a member of that last named band]. Somewhere this year the above mentioned foursome, plus female backing singer Teena Berg (on 3 songs) and recording engineer John Wright sequestered themselves at Savage, MN's The Villa studio, where they recorded the 12 self-produced songs we can now find on the band's album! To describe the band's music is a difficult thing, but the band comes closest stating it is Rock with hints of Alternative, Grunge, and Acid. While there's no band that SMP sounds “just like”, fans have commented that some songs sound like Weezer, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Cake, Black Sabbath, Stillwater, or Led Zeppelin with a touch of Tom Petty. Hum...that must've been before hearing the Hip Hop-ish “So Alive” (in which Mike only uses a semi-Rapped style of nearly whispered vocals)...wonder what they would compare the wacky “Kissing The Ground” (which has guitar to resemble organ played through Marshall amps, such as we recently heard from The Voodoo Jets - also a band come to our attention thanks to TSM/SLW). Another song which draws our attention, is “Debby”, but in all fairness that comes forth from the fact that you can find two versions of the song, the acoustic 2010 version closing the album. At any rate, the band sounds like they've been time-travelled from the '80s, as you will be able to witness when listening to the songs posted at myspace.com/smellmypillow or (www.) smellmyspilow.com. Actually, the latter site is preferable, as you can listen to all 12 songs there. Darn...I love this band! 93/100 -------------------------------------------------- Gee, the promo sheet's story for this band was just too freaky for me to withhold it from our readers, so here goes: “As the legend of The Hot Rails would have it, frontman Ken Janssen wandered from the mountains of Illinois to the deserts of Oregon to the open ranges of our nation's capital; from the jungles of Central England to the frozen tundra of Northern Italy; until returning to the rain forests of the north shores. There, the meaning of his existence was revealed to him by a beautiful woman...with eight legs...and snakes for hair – to ensure that mankind goes out in style. Janssen, the laziest man in show business, recruited four superheroes of Rock to drink beer, make records and hopefully teach a few hipsters that it's OK if you don't take yourself too seriously. The Hot Rails have somehow managed to bring their booze-addled antics down to DIY SXSW in 2008 and 2010, with regional tours threatening to drive audiences and the band themselves to the brink of deafness, if not annihilation. They've also taken the burgeoning Cleveland Scuzz Rock scene by storm, playing sold out shows with a wide range of acts from Ted Leo And The Pharmacists to Gil Mantera's Party Dream; from L.A. Guns to The Electric 6 and from Mooney Susuki to Fastball.” Wha's all that mean? Well, simply that after a couple of years of traveling until he was just passed 30, singer Ken Janssen settled in Cleveland, Ohio where, at first, he joined '60s Garage band The It*Me. The experience gave him the inspiration to create the stage antics for which he'd become famous throughout Cleveland. Later, with the help of guitarists/ backing singers James Rychak and Dave Molnar (the latter previously of The It*Men, Dreadful Yarns and Expecting Rain to name but a few antecedents), bassist/ backing vocalist Nick Licata and drummer Charles Druesedow (another It*Men collaborator, also of Dreadful Yarns and New Lou Reeds), he wrote and developed a first batch of songs, drawing influences from AC/DC, Blue Oyster Cult, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Thin Lizzy, Uriah Heep to create their own twin-guitar type of '70s Bluesey and dirty Hard Rock...recording a first 9 songs for their self-released 2007 debut album To Hell With The Hot Rails, with lyrics by Jannsen telling tall tales of “...youthful boozing, amateur porno-flavoured debauchery, unmentionable pills, packages and powders...neither condoning or condemning...” (citation from band's bio at MySpace). Along the way to their new album (again recorded in co-production with Mark Klein), the band lost Dave Molnar, whom still participated in the creation of 5 of the new album's 8 songs...and recruited one David Paolucci to replace him. The new man has apparently been of no influence of any possible stylistic changes, because the new album is very much in the same style as the debut. The difference between the two albums comes in a much nicer sound overall. Apparently, experience, or possibly a better studio...better equipment?...have made for a far cleaner sound. Not that the music isn't any less “dirty” than it used to be, but it simply comes over far more efficiently than on the debut (and I can tell, because we were sent both albums, see!). With the other guys frequently aiding out in the vocals, occasionally even to somewhat chaotic but calculated effect, the overall dirtiness is simply enhanced! Great stuff this, as you will be able to witness for yourselves by listening to the songs posted at myspace.com/hotrailsmusic. Definitely my favourite band in this batch, and one worthy of being named in the year-lists!!! 98/100 -------------------------------------------------- Name of this American band sure sounds familiar, doesn't it? Hehehe, you know, most probably that's a feeling borne from association! The Sins formed in 2001 in Seattle (Washington state) as a Post-Punk band inspired by such British Pop/ Goth Rock acts Sisters Of Mercy, The Mission UK, and American Rock legends The Doors...with musically diverse musicians, including a classically trained violinist and a Jazz-influenced drummer. Because the band combined their main Brit Punk influences with their own modern Rock backgrounds and ideas, and treated concert goers to a dynamic show with vigorous showmanship, the band was able to captivate audiences from different sub-genres. The band's debut album The Beginning met with quite some enthousiasm, and topped the charts at websites such as MP3.com, soundclick.com, MySpace, and DarkCellDigitalMusic.net. Although the band's 2005 sophomore album The Last One Kills was met with even bigger acclaim, the band split in Summer 2006 (officially, they went on “hiatus”). Luckily, the hiatus eventually proved to be a temporary thing (as these things are supposed to be), and the band [singer/ guitarist J Van Huisman, lead & rhythm guitarist Lee Tillman, violinist/ pianist/ keyboardist Jyri Glynn (as far as I know, the only one whom continued after The Sins with solo project Anguisette, writing the soundtrack scores for independent movies Far Too Gone and Effing Brutal, the music for Vince Neil's tattoo website Vince Neil Ink, and releasing his debut solo album The Creation Chamber in 2009, he was invited as guest musician to both live appearances and studio recordings with the likes of The Quantum Dots, LoveSick, Lost Dogma, Genowen, and more – by the way, as far as I know Jyri was also the only musician whom had a significant past, having played with Seattle's influential Goth act Tri State Killing Spree prior to The Sins), bassist Fish Jones, and drummer Jamie Knox] got back together in 2009 to record the single “Abigail”. Obviously, they stayed together long enough after that to also record a full-length's worth amount of songs (12, to be correct). Musically, I'd say the band's main influences certainly come through, but overall the songs are “heavier”, or more guitar-geared, than said influences ever were...in spite of the additional violin, occasional piano and keyboard sounds, which further distance The Sins in originality from its sometimes restricted musical heroes. Of course, a band wanting to appeal to a broader public simply hàs to have a ballad on its album as well, which on The Undone comes in the form of the acoustic “Don't You Cry”. Although there's no mention of any horn players performing on the album, you would swear several songs to have made use of such musicians. Incredible what people can do these days with keyboards, wouldn't you say so? What with Van Huisman's somewhat hoarse voice (occasionally backed), you get yet another difference. Still, overall The Sins will first grab you with their catchy tunes. Still somewhat skeptic? Check out some of the band's music at myspace.com/thesins (3 tracks off the new album and 7 older ones), and enjoy! 87/100 -------------------------------------------------- This Baltimore (Maryland, USA) area based (they're now operating from Rockville, which is situated a good 50 km West from Baltimore) Power Rock trio has apparently been around since the Early '90s, but failed to break out of their local settings back then. With singer/ bassist Paul van Valkenburgh as a constant, the band got through some line-up changes, but maintained a local popularity while also playing shows in NY City (CBGB's among 'em), and doing East Coast and US tours. At one time they got a front cover spread in local music magazine Rox, and for 2 years the band was even managed by legendary producer Beau Hill. Throughout their history, the band made several recordings at Baltimore's Oz Studios, which were purely meant as demos for record labels, and therefore most were never distributed to the public at large. In 2007 the band resurfaced with a line-up of van Valkenburgh, guitarist Shawn Vickers (apparently already part of the '90s band) and drummer Geoff Burrell (also a member of old), and in late 2009 the guys decided to put a bunch (22 in total) on a self-released compilation album entitled Best Of The 90's. Of course, it was inevitable that the trio would also record some new material, and that's what we've got on our plate now. According to the band's own bio, “...influences are numerous and cover Rock throughout the ages. Some key ones could include Sabbath/ Ozzy, Led Zeppelin, Beatles, Metallica, Alice In Chains, Stone Temple Pilots, Pantera, Deftones to name but a few. The sound would be classified as straight Hard Rock, or potentially Grunge Rock...”! Now that latter assessment is one I can live with, for sure, and here and there a Black Sabbath influence come through a bit clearer too. Vocally, Paul's somewhat gruff vocals make a difference from the usual clean singing in the Grunge scene, and that certainly sets the band apart. Still, I can understand somehow why this trio never made it any bigger than local heroes. Maybe the “new” technologies (back in the '90s a lot of people were reluctant to jump onto the World Wide Web, ad these days stuff like that is quite matter of fact) can change that. Check out the band's music for yourselves at myspace.com/tubefreeks, where you can find 4 of the 12 songs off the new album alongside 4 off their compilation. 87/100 -------------------------------------------------- I'm sorry to say that where Denmark usually spews out classy acts in the Metal genre, that is obviously not the case with X Contract (a feeling I apparently share with some other reviewers). But well, let's get down to the band's historical facts first. The band was founded in 2007 by lead singer Dennis Pedersen (whom also handles second guitar these days) with drummer Jon Brändsgaard Toft as producer, and later as permanent member. The rest of the line-up has been in some kind of flux, with several members stepping in on the bass. As lead guitarist the band eventually recruited one Lars Klit Nielsen, and along the line the band also founded their own label. Goin' on the cover pictures, the band's debut single (released December 2009) had a different line-up altogether: pictured as a trio, there was a red-headed female (most certainly the bassist), and no sign of Toft yet...but on the second single, released in April of this year, the redhead was indeed replaced by Toft. In fact, the band found their new bassist Casper Haljär only just prior to recording their debut full-length. In their bio, the band confesses to have Pedersen write the majority of lyrics, with Nielsen being responsible of creating the songs' melodies and different instrumental parts, but the other band members frequently contribute to the arrangements. They also mention that they tend to “...take themselves very seriously as a band, and their focus lies upon professionalism and using their different abilities and inspirations to create the best music possible, and still being true to what they believe...”! Now I've given the album several listening sessions in a row (as I always do when coming up against a “difficult” review), and for the life of me I cannot find one moment on the album where Pedersen's vocals are actually in the least bit acceptable! He and the backing singer (the lead guitarist) both have an accent so thick, you'd swear they never spoke English before and are doing so now without any guidance! The best song vocally, is “How To Endure”, a duet with an outsider female singer (which I seem to discern in the backing vocals of a couple of the other songs as well), whom does considerably better than the band's own singers! As far as the compositions go, the guys aren't even that bad, and there's definitely different approaches, as well as occasionally nice extras from the lead guitarist. In some songs a Goth/ Wave feeling is added through the induction of some keyboard lines. However, there's also songs which are simply too bland and uninspired, the style of which might be construed as being “Heavy Rock”. Part of the problem comes from the guitar's sound, which has a somewhat unified sharpness to it...and that of course also has to do with the quality of recording and mixing. I mean, its almost as if the band went through their recordings as quickly as possible, and then forgot to do the actual cleaning up and mixing! End conclusion? This band is led by a guy whom has no business pretending to be able to sing in the English language, and that definitely spoils the whole thing! Hey...here's an idea: why don't you start singing in Danish! Thén we might at least assertain whether you can even sing! Either that, or take an intensive language course! Evidently, the rating is slim here, boys and girls! In case you still feel like torturing yourself for a while, feel free to listen to the two songs (actually some of their overall calmer, and also their best) the band posted at myspace.com/xcontract. The DVD? A “Making Of” affair, which I even didn't feel like watching...no idea at all whether there's any extras on it as well! Sorry!!! 68/100 -------------------------------------------------- For the Alternative Rock quartet known as Yen Harley, we turn our heads towards Holland, the town of Utrecht to be exact! Things started back in 2004, when singer and guitarist Lukas Batteau started his first Grunge Rock band named after a hotmail account of some girl he'd hopelessly fallen in love with. The band ended up being a disappointment, and broke up in 2006. Mere days after the split, he handed over a demo to friend and colleague (now manager and wife, in that order) Ravinia Thwaites, and her enthousiasm encouraged Lukas to continue on his own, leading to the two of 'em recording a new 3-track demo in Lukas' basement studio in March 2007. the demo then ensured him acoustic gigs at open mics or any bar or venue Ravinia could get him a spot. All of the sudden, he'd become a singer-songwriter musician! In early 2008 the duo realised it was time for some proper recordings, and so Lukas teamed up with Utrecht producer Maarten Besseling to record his EP All Dressed Up And Nowhere To Go. Thanks to a good reception of the EP (including a great review in Holland's leading Pop magazine Oor), Lukas was enabled to play over 100 shows in the following year, including support slots with Wouter Hamel and Tracy Bonham, appearances at local festivals Tweetakt, UIT Feest, and Stukafest, and playing several cities for 2009's Popronde. But all along Lukas felt his songs hadn't gotten their final form yet. Still heavily influenced by the Grunge sounds of the likes of Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Alice In Chains, and Smashing Pumpkins, he was looking to give his tunes a darker and heavier sound, but knew he couldn't do that on his own. So in late 2008 he and Ravinia placed an ad for a drummer and bass player, and soon drummer Berry Vink and female bassist Josine van der Splinter were recruited. In 2009, Lukas Batteau (the band) played high profile venues like Holland's Paradiso, Melkweg, Doornroosje, Ekko, Paard Van Troje, P60, but also Germany's Steinbruch and New York City's Kenny's Castaway and Living Room with acts such as Go Back To The Zoo, Paulusma, and Gomez. They also started recording their album. And having asked Rolf Perdok to help out on the second guitar during live appearances, asked him to join in on that as well, in effect, join the band! Eventually, on January 1st of this year, Lukas re-baptised his band, and Yen Harley was in his life again! About the music now. Vocally, Lukas reminds me of a calmer and introverted Bob Mould. His melancholic singing may be somewhat limited in range, but the musicians fill in the gap in a fitting way, making for a whole which keeps the listener's attention focused throughout the complete first listening session. Evidently, from a second session the fun really starts. For some reason (I'm on a network pc for my internet needs) I could not open the band's own website (www.) yenharley.net, but at (www.) myspace.com/yerharley, the band's posted no less than 5 of the album's 10 songs for you to enjoy...and one of those even comes in the form of a video! Go check it out now! 93/100 Tony. |
