OLD SCHOOL TIE – MYSTERY SOUND PLAYGROUND LP
An excellent album from Old School Tie. ‘Adventurers and Explorers’ gets things going with mellow guitars and enthralling lyrical content examining exploration and its impact on the world. Old School Tie show their diversity and musical ability by combining piano and guitars with superb vocal harmonies on the track ‘Blindfolds’ with songs hook being accentuated by the piano. ‘Fireflies’ is upbeat in tempo, with rhythmic intricacies in the vocal line leading to a rocked out crescendo at the heart of the song. Old School Tie make a nod towards electronica in ‘Gods Electric Super Scene’ showing their ability to use many different genres in their musical expression. The album traces numerous styles throughout while still retaining the bands own identity. A true skill indeed. Details of how to get a copy of Mystery Sound Playground are available from their myspace page.
http://www.myspace.com/oldschooltie
BROKEN LINKS – RESISTING MOVEMENT AND THE ALMOST ADVISORY EP
A crunching guitar line and superb vocals herald in the first track of this blistering EP from Broken Links. The track ‘Within isolation’ has a soaring vocal line and uplifting chorus which is bound to stick in your head and have you humming it for days. The band combine the energy and infectious nature of their songs with dirty sounding bass lines which give a dark undertone to their music. The track ‘Colditz’ further cements this sound while ‘The Sea Inside’ is haunting with echo, crackle and ghostly backing vocals providing an emotional end to the EP. A great listen from Broken Links.
Resisting Movement and the Almost Advisory is available now from iTunes and Amazon.
HAUNTED STEREO – TREE HOUSE EP
A quirky and thoroughly enjoyable EP from Haunted Stereo. Violins collide with glockenspiel and accordion on ‘Childhood’s End’ combining with a sweet vocal line to produce a complex and interesting soundscape. The vocal harmonies are excellent bringing a feeling of joy to the listener. ‘Walking in Threes’ again shows the strong effect of an accordion and strings combination, producing a unique folk edged sound. The final track ‘Buttons’ plays with tempos and pairs this with beautiful female vocals. This track once again shows a quirky yet accessible musical style there to be enjoyed.
The Tree House EP is available from Amazon and iTunes and also from the bands website:
http://www.hauntedstereo.co.uk/shop.htm http://www.myspace.com/hauntedstereomusic
OTTO - MONEY DON’T MATTER EP
Four tracks of fantastically executed funk from Otto. The title track, gives the listener some up tempo grooves which are instrumentally superb with excellent vocal hooks. There are some heavy riffs in this track, complementing their obvious funk influences. ‘Quentin’ shows the power of both the male and female vocal performers in the band. The bass line in this track is funk to the max. They take a more mellow tone with the brilliantly laid back piano tones of ‘Mango Lounge’ but they never lose their funk sensibilities. The closing track, ‘Like a Glove’ rounds off a festival of funk with more bass excellence and a really catchy hook. The ‘Money Don’t Matter’ EP shows Otto have true talent, and leaves the listener wanting more.
For more details about Money Don’t Matter contact Otto through their myspace page.