The Parties - Coast Garde

The Parties - Coast Garde

2010, Rainbow Quartz Records

San Francisco has a history of turning out epic rock bands with distinctive sounds.  The city has been a breeding ground of musical influences since the 1960’s and continues to produce an impressive crop of artists.  The latest band to emerge from the Bay is The Parties, who take their influences from 1960’s bands such as The Who, Kinds and Velvet Underground, The High Dials and Teenage Fanclub.  The Parties drop their latest album, Coast Garde, on November 2, 2010.  They will playing material from their new album at the Rainbow Quartz CMJ showcase tonight at Local 269, located at 269 East Houston in New York City.

Coast Garde opens with “Let’s Call It Love”, a near-perfect example of pure 1960’s pop.  The song features a wide-open arrangement, delicious melody and enveloping vocal harmonies.  Vocalist Jeremy Powers has a solid, distinctive voice that speaks in low tones.  He won’t blow you away but delivers solid, measured performances that work perfectly in the frame of music The Parties create.  “Can’t Seem To Get My Mind Off Of You” is pure Crosby, Stills and Nash-style songwriting and harmonies.  “The Target Smiles” is a solid tune; sounding like something the Beatles might have written in a country & western phase of their career had it lasted longer.  “Leavin’ The Light On” is about the split that occurs when you get what you wish for but not what you want; it’s the catchiest song on the album and has an blend that sounds like something that might have come from a jam session between 54-40 and Wilco.

“Suite: Feet Back On The Ground/I’m Sorry/Going Away Girl” blends the sounds of Traffic and Crosby, Stills and Nash. The songwriting here is top notch, particular “Going Away Girl” which dances on the edge of utter pop brilliance.  “Autumn Girl” slows things down with a country feel, juxtaposing a hopeful, bright vocal line against a melancholy arrangement.  “Annie” and “Catastrophic Storm” are solid album tracks, setting the stage for “You Ruined Me”.  “You Ruined Me” is the best pop song on the album.  Sadness abounds in a Beatles-esque pop tune laced with country accents.  This is an addictive tune, a real wow moment that could break out big for The Parties.

Rainbow Quartz has a number of bands reveling in the sounds of the 1960’s and doing it quite well.  The cream of the crop is The Parties, who blend a mellifluous sense of melody with distinctive harmonies and a rare sort of pop sensibility that’s music gold. Coast Garde has its slow moments, but has several tunes that could be hits in almost any era if commercial radio were actually accessible.  The Parties are not a band to take lightly; they’ll be around for awhile.

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about The Parties at http://www.thepartiesrock.com/ or at Rainbow Quartz Records.  Coast Garde drops on November 2, 2010.  You can pre-order the CD from Amazon.com.  Expect wider availability, including digital formats, upon release.

The Sails - A Headful Of Stars

The Sails - A Headful Of Stars

2010, Rainbow Quartz Records

London rockers The Sails have generated a lot of buzz on the Eastern side of the Atlantic with a sound that blends 1960’s British Invasion melodicism and an alternative rock edge.  Front man Michael Gagliano (late of Epic) and a cast of rotating musicians bring a sound that’s been lauded both here and abroad.  The Sails land in New York City tonight at the Rainbow Quartz CMJ Showcase at Local 269 at 269 East Houston Street in Manhattan, in support of their album A Headful Of Stars. 

A Headful Of Stars opens with “I’m Only Bleeding”, a brilliant piece of pop songwriting with garage/psych qualities.  You’ll think you’ve been translated to the days of the original British Invasion and that The Sails were on the first boat to land (figuratively).  The song is chock full of tremendous vocal harmonies and a great pop hook, all delivered in a wall of sound that will bowl you over.  “Travel” is a dynamic sonic exploration full of far-Eastern influences in the style of George Harrison; the song is lyric and full of gorgeous harmonies.  “In My Head” goes for the throat with a big sound and a melody that will sing itself into your ears.  “Health Insecurities Limited” has a messy Beatles aesthetic going on; distinctive melody in a solid arrangement that’s just a big smudgy in the seams.  “Yesterday & Today” sounds like what might have happened if Roger McGuinn sat in on guitar with The Beatles; an unusual sound that’s highly appealing.  The Sails close out with “The Drunken Love Song”, a solid closer that cements A Headful Of Stars in its sonic surrealism.

The Sails create a sonic wonderland on A Headful Of Stars, reminiscent of the great Brit Invasion bands with a leaner, meaner alt-rock feel.  The sound is timeless and the songwriting itself is solid.  Even on the few occasions where the songwriting is bit more mundane, the sound is so engaging you won’t care.  Don’t be surprised if The Sails take America by storm.

Rating: 3.5 Stars (Out Of 5)

Learn more about The Sails at www.myspace.com/thesails or Rainbow Quartz Records.  A Headful of Stars is available from Amazon.com as a CD or Download.  The album is also available from iTunes.