Blues-based in the way that Led Zeppelin is blues-based. Mix with a little 90s grunge and you've got a recording that sounds fresh instead of dated. There are more 60s/70s references on the b-side as the singer recalls a higher-pitched Jim Morrison in places. The b-side is more of a straight pop song with 90s instrumental/grunge fills.
Fuzzed up 70's meets Sonic Youth sound with half-spat vocals. Maybe Emerson, Lake & Palmer meets Soundgarden & then is played at double speed. They slow down in the middle of the a-side for a spaghetti-western interlude. The b-side reminds me of an amped up 16 Horsepower without quite so much Twin Peaks running through the sound.
Oxtail has a Tom Waits meets old negro spiritual/chain gang feel to it (at least in the intro). Later in the song it turns into that slow, alternative drone sort of song - not bad. B-side is a somewhat warped cover of the Flock of Seagulls tune. It's warped, but the 80s sound inherent in the tune can't be completely masked.
Power pop. Mike Deneen is developing a stable of power pop artists as a producer (Letters to Cleo, Jennifer Trynin) in the New England (primarily Boston) area. The Gravel Pit differ in that there are no females in the band. This is very solid power pop. WWW: http://www.qdivision.com
Pop-punk akin to X-Ray Spex without the horns & fronted by a female of obvious oriental descent (well, sounds that way on these two songs, anyway). One side is 33-1/3, the other is 45rpm. The B-side is heavier and more ominous. Prude Records, 147 Lowell Mall Center, Cambridge, MA 02138-5028, Contact: Tessa. Turkish Delight, 50 Winship St. #2, Brighton, MA 02135.
"12 Inch Dance Mix" - Godzuki
Minimalist pop akin to Lois, Liz Phair, etc. with a little noise
and fuzz thrown in for spice. Very interesting.
"Pinion" - Asha Vida
Asha Vida are very trance-like or hymn-like, though in a much more
tribal sense as opposed to any organized religious sense. Very neat.
Perhaps somewhat akin to Dead Can Dance.
Pretty decent pop stuff, from this Cambridge, MA band, that has roots that reach back quite a ways filtered through Elvis Costello/XTC and REM (most specifically Michael Stipe). Sayhitolisa, 184 Otis Street, Cambridge, MA 02141, Phone: 617-496-8901
Too much of an edge to Citizen's Utilities to be categorized as dreamy-fuzz pop/rock, but that's what the a-side reminds me of. The b-side is a little bit more structured pop song.
Somewhat industrial in nature, though it lacks the heavier beats of harder industrial music and lacks the consistency of ambient industrial sounds - neo-industrial space noodling might be an apt description. Probably worth checking out just for the band's name.
Ah... punk angst. It's too bad they swear on "I Shot Jerry Garcia", it's fairly funny but hard to give it airplay. Pretty basic punk, otherwise. The b-side is a messed up (in a good way) cover of the Go-Go's tune. Superkool Records, Box 20184, Fountain Valley, CA 92728, WWW: http://www.webcom.com/~nothing/409
Spies For Life - Youth Brigade
Punk that seems to have the more dramatic flair of 70s prog stuff
(mostly in the vocals).
Blind Spot - Screw 32
Screw 32 are hyper-speed punk with just a bit of a Caribbean lilt to
their sound. They don't fall under the ska umbrella, but they have
some similarities to bands that mix n' match ska and punk/metal.
BYO Records, P.O. Box 67A64, Los Angeles, CA 90067
Don't Cry Lucy - Swinger is a near-psychedelic pop piece that recalls the Beatles loosely and many 80s pop bands. Plastic Moon - The Swarays is a very catchy, guitar-led power-pop tune. Maybe an Americanized sounding XTC or XTC/Costello mixed with a little R.E.M. Very Nice. Ginger Records, 2234 Hamilton, Chicago, IL 60647
Neat little 7" that adds something intangible to pop songs that certainly take inspiration from Robyn Hitchcock, Elvis Costello, XTC, the Beatles, Todd Rundgren and maybe even They Might Be Giants. Very Cool! Modern Relic Records, P.O. Box 637, Joliet, IL 60434-0637, WWW: http://www.mcs.net/~heyharpo/daver.html
Blues-based alterna-rock. Mix the Allman Brothers with Pearl Jam. Quite a retro feel to these tracks, not surprisingly given the mixture listed above. Phish, Blues Traveler, Grateful Dead, etc. fans should check this out. Dovetail Joint, P.O. Box 14102, Chicago, IL 60614-0102
Hard pop/power pop that draws from Elvis Costello and also from many of Boston's noise-pop bands. WWW: http://www.shore.net/~qdiv/q.htm