Local Support 063: Not unlike a well-made caramel macchiato

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Local Support 063: Not unlike a well-made caramel macchiato

POSTED: Tuesday, September 30, 2008, 4:54 PM

Filed Under: Music | Local Support Philly Bands

[audio:http://stream.citypaper.net/music/localsupport063.mp3]

Thank you, Jon Solomon. By using his Local Support podcast to support area artists, the guy is not only gaining massive karma points (assuming that divine justice wears tight jeans, is mustachioed and plays guitar), he's also saving us leg work by sifting through local talent and isolating the cream. This is the best of the best right here, folks.

Sola

obeyyourbrain.com

Mtn. High's "Downhill Champion" sounds a lot like the Offspring in the vocal department, with a conspicuous drum machine beat and paranoia-tinged guitar that's very Brian Wilson on a bad trip. A good upper to begin the playlist on. Sola's "The Bottom" is my top pick of the night: They jive with a hypnotic afrobeat and effectively use horn sections, keyboards and rhythmic breakdowns to accentuate. I look forward to hearing more from them in the future.

I suppose it's unfair that any local act with eclectic influences — vaudevillian vocal structures, quirky lyrics, vintage horn and violin arrangements — is automatically compared to Man Man, but hey, at least I'm not likening And The Moneynotes "Pirates Confession Part III" to Nickelback. Gang's "Earthquake”" sounds like an angrier Go! Team with more frequent breakdowns. Catchy shout-and-response vocals complement minimalist guitars and drums. I'd enjoy this even more if I was at a high school pep on coke. What's not to like about a song that employs the term "intergalactic gangsta"? Bend it, search it, play it, rock it.

On the opposite end, Ponieheart's "Much to Lose" takes a more romantic approach ("I'm all alone/ there's no one here"). Following the self-loathing trend is The Silence Kit's moody "A New Disappointment" — its crunchy opening chords could easily be mistaken for a piece of angsty alt-rock that dominated the airwaves more than a decade ago.

Twangy guitars and a catchy, sing-along vocals made Persona's simply titled "Track 2" one of the standouts of LS063. These guys pair memorable verses with simple pop-rock structure for a finished product that, not unlike a well-made caramel macchiato, is sweet till the last drop, leaving one energized for hours after.

The Emotron

Geoff Hall | myspace.com/theemotron

With a band name like Prophecies of War and a song titled "War," I had pretty solid expectations of what these guys were going to sound like before I heard them. But o my pleasant surprise, I was completely wrong. Instead of cookie monster shouts and kung fu-inducing breakdowns, there's spastic drumming, droning synths and electric sax.

Turns out The Emotron sound much more like what I thought Prophecies would sound like, at least for the first minute or so. Standard hardcore metal parts mixed with Numan-esque synthesizers and Cuomo-ish lyrics.

I'll describe Jukebox Zero's "Static, Static" in two words: Rolling Stones. It's a flattering comparison.

Mtn. High - "Downhill Champion" - Split single with Loving Thunder
Fred Martin - "I Want Another Chance" - The Best Of Melron Records (c)
Sola - "The Bottom" - The Bottom
And The Moneynotes - "A Pirate's Confession Part III" - New Cornucopia!
Busses - "Socialist" - Demo

Gang - "Earthquake It" - Cdr
Ponieheart - "Much To Lose" - Unreleased New Tracks
Astral Archetype - "Synge" -Deconstructing A Coincidence -
Andrew Keller - "Chocolate" - Baby Bird
The Silence Kit - "A New Disappointment" - A Strange Labor

Persona - "Track 2" - Cdr
Newton - "Ode To My Bloody Philadelphia Heart" - Technicolor Hell (c)
Prophecies Of War - "War" - S/T
The Emotron - "The Bethune Theory" - The Decemberwrist
Aderbat - "Get Out" - Rabbits & Rocks

Jukebox Zeros - "Static, Static" - Stunk

Duration: 01:18:23

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Featuring everything from event roundups to concert reviews and sex talk, City Paper's Critical Mass is a space for off-the-wall coverage of Philly's A&E scene.

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