"Song of the Week"

July has sure had it's share of fireworks... Since a few more KaBooms than I planned on kept me away from Blogging, I wanted to add one more KaBoom to finish off the month.

This week's IndepenDisc "Song of the Week" is a BiG KaBoom, A song I consider "One Of" the Best Local New Haven/CT songs of All-Time. Listen to it now (the song title is a direct stream link) and then tell me if you agree, or turn me on to what YOU think is "One Of" the Best local New Haven/CT songs of All-Time.

"Song of the Week" for 07-28-10 is: Rooster by: The Manchurians. off the CD: 5x4/The Minster EP.
Featured on IndepenDisc in Jun. of '08 ~ here's what I (G.Gone) had to say about it then...

~snip~... A powerful closing to a powerful disc. The Manchurians have ratcheted up the intensity by taking their blues base and committing it to the garage in a fashion that allows us to understand the beauty and power that can come from the blending of these genres, that came before, least we forget...~snip~ Read the entire review HERE.

CD Review ~ The Hearts And The Minds

The Hearts And The Minds present the future of Classic Pop by capturing the past. The opening track, Bells Will Ring, immediately evokes Big Star (leaning more towards Chris Bell than Alex Chilton). Using the same distinctive, dreamy pop formula as Big Star, THATM rolls out the Beatles and runs them through every indie, Alt. style band from The Byrds to Belle & Sebastian and beyond. Presented as an Album (yes, it is available on vinyl), these 4 songs per side treat us to what was once considered the “real” way to create, construct, and present pop(ular) music.

The rest of Side One again echoes Big Star as THATM offer up a deep-seated Twilight Zone atmosphere with glimpses of Techno/industrial blends while tossing Pink Floyd/Roger Waters, ELO/Jeff Lynn (Got To Let You Know), XTC, Radiohead, MGMT, and The Beatles (Bending Trees, Arms Unfold) about with that type of George Martin pioneered production that accentuates each nuance of the pop formula.

Side Two opens with Spirit, a monster rock anthem a la Todd Rundgren’s Utopia which treads XTC territory with Led Zeppelin inspiration and a mammoth production that buries its teeth into the cerebellum. All Is Veiled is a modern day “Within You Without You” within a trippy psychedelic landscape of encompassing reverb. Lighthouse Keeper throws us out of the trip and into a psychotic garage rock of up-tempo dance pop boarding on smaltz pop, but THATM pulls it off beautifully as they have us singing along to the catchy chorus “You can believe what you want to believe.” Finally the 8-minute opus, You Are Home, takes us to outer space/Twilight Zone with a 3-D style Brian Wilson tapestry that results in a frappe of The Moody Blues and Pearl Jam.

This iconic presentation of Pop music wouldn’t be nearly as impressive if there wasn’t any lyrical sustenance to complete the formula, and THATM delivers on that front as well. Again sticking to the regimens of Pop, THATM lays down 8 songs of love and heartbreak/heartache – after all, what is a pop song without love or heartbreak/heartache? – each presented by points of view explored for their emotional impact and open to each individual’s perception and interpretation. The hooks and choruses that have us singing along with a feel good attitude to a break up song is the ultimate definition of Classic Pop.

The Hearts And The Minds capture the past to present the future of Classic Pop.

Radio IndepenDisc (11 years of July Features)

11 years of July Features! The podcast & stream of the 07-07-10 show is up! Click HERE to listen 24/7. With sets by: The Hearts And The Minds ('10), secretsunday ('99), Red Betty ('00), The Who Whos ('01), The Grape Street Pub ('02), Let's Get Furious ('03), The Sawtelles ('04), The Nortons ('04), OHN ('05), Charlie Does Surf ('06), The Furors ('06), Eric D. ('07), annabella ('08), and The Wailhounds ('09).