Woodman: "Wide Eyes Of Brandon" b/w "You've Lost Your Way" (Loco Gnosis)
-The Woodman 45 opens up with a very catchy pop riff in "Wide Eyes Of Brandon". This is definitely a great song for driving on a hot summer day. The theme of summer livin' is prevalent throughout the lyrics. It made me feel as though everything was right with the world and left me with a bit of solace and happiness. This a is a fast-paced jam that will make you want to twirl around in a field for awhile.
-"You've Lost Your Way" is the polar opposite of "Wide Eyes Of Brandon". A simple, easy, laid back, more introspective song that invokes much feeling. The band makes good use here of Hilary Woodman's vocals as well as introduces an organ to the band's repotoire. What really stood out for me was the guitar work by Derek Woodman on this track.
-All in all this was a very refreshing and enjoyable 45. It displays that Woodman can provide both the ass-shaking and the slow dance. They have a consistent sound which is tied together by Frank Woodman's vocals and Derek Woodman's brand of distorted guitar while soloing. I would definitely suggest picking this up.
It's avaiable for purchase through Loco Gnosis right here.
-The Love Me Nots hail from Pheonix, AZ; but are really able to capture the Detroit "sound" of music with their album Detroit. The sound of the band is scuzzy blues-based rock with twinges of rockabilly, surf, and desert influences. They remind me of The Detroit Cobras but with more style, substance, and originality. The guitar is very Link Wray-esque with a good fuzz distortion to it. The lead vocals at times can be either sultry or very powerful dependant on the mood or moment of the song. The record comes on cream colored vinyl and was recorded, mixed,, and mastered by Detroit Luminary Jim Diamond. My favortie songs were "Shuffle" and "Shaken". Others that also stood out were "Bulletproof Heart" and "Secret Work". It's good to see other bands employing the sound that helped shape the music scene of a specific city.
To pick up the vinyl, visit here.
Annuals: Sweet Sister EP (Banter Media)
-Annuals are quite a bit more poppy and laid back then my usual preference in music. They remind me of a cross between Belle & Sebastian and Nouvelle Vague. I really like the bossa nova feel to their sound. Definitely a slower paced EP, Sweet Sister would be good listening for sitting on a deck while watching a sunset. The standout song for me on this EP was "Turncloaking". It really implented good use of building and peeling back emotion throughout the song. The Sweet Sister EP comes out March 30th through Banter Media.
All ordering information can be found here.
-jr
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-jr is a musician/dj/blogger/writer from Detroit, MI. He performs in the band The Jesus Chainsaw Massacre and writes a cultural blog under the same moniker. When Dj'ing he uses the handle DJ JCM. He has been an integral part of the Detroit Music mechanation for the past 10 years. He knows just about everything about music on both a local and national level. His opinon is gold and is infallible.