Sons of Great Dane “Why Ramble?”
This is a Kansas City trio lead by singer/songwriter Brent Windler. Brent has an excellent melodic instinct and writes roots rock similar to Rhett Miller or Jay Bennett. The bass slapping, muscular guitar riffs are effortlessly catchy. It also helps to have Wilco producer Lou Whitney’s assistance here. The combo of alt. country and power pop is seamless here and brilliant on the pop openers “Early Train” and “Bullet Left It’s Barrels Head.” The galloping rhythm of “Always Right, Always Wrong” reminds me of the Nashville band Joe, Marc’s Brother. The somber “Ballad Of Lou Baker” is an Elliot Smith inspired composition that starts out simple and builds to a strong chorus. My favorite song on the album is the Wilco-like “Drug Queen Beauty” with a terrific rolling beat and riff combo. “Question” turns into a dense alt country version of The Beatles’ “A Day In The Life,” including overlapping instrumental chaos. Every single track shines here (no filler for this bunch) and the blended styles work beautifully together. But most of all, Windler knows how to write great songs by the seat of his pants. I can’t wait to hear more from The Sons of Great Dane.
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The Antennas “s/t”
From flood-ravaged Nashville comes The Antennas. This traditional power pop band is comprised of brothers Layne and Landon Ihde and drummer Mark Niemiec. In the tradition of The Knack, The Who and Matthew Sweet the band knows how to rock pretty well on the opener “A Call To Arms.” The band has a full guitar dominated sound and plenty of energy throughout. “We Are The Rabbits” has a catchy rhythm leading to the punkish chorus. The falsetto lead on “Stop Running Their Mouths” and synth touches on “I Found Out” brings to mind many of the great 80’s power pop bands (The Beat, 20/20, Shoes, etc.). The band rarely misses the mark (“All Aboard”) but for the most part is consistently good and plays it safe songwriting-wise. The superb guitar playing prevents any lesser efforts from spoiling the momentum and the catchy riffs on almost every song pull the listener in. The keyboard/guitar combo of “You Really Bring Me Down” is a treat for fans of The Cars and the album highlight for me has to be the closer “Walk Out Your Door” full of sparkling harmonies and tight composition. A very impressive debut that shouldn’t be overlooked. They are even working on a follow up EP as you read this. The band also has a FREE iphone app where you can hear the whole album – how cool is that?!
MySpace | CD Baby | Kool Kat Musik | Not Lame
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