Senior Recreation: Transmit 06
(Self-Released, 2006)
The
first track is reason enough to listen to this 3-song EP. "Now That I
Sleep Alone" is 6 minutes of sonic bliss. It stretches for miles with
an epic guitar progression and wash that closes out the song, amazing tonality. "Standing On The Edge Of Now" is where The Postal Service nod comes in, but this is better. The acoustic and delayed guitar make
it seem more organic and rich. A beautiful love song with plenty of
room to breathe. "Airport" is a scenic-like instrumental that
immediately makes you think of happy endings and deep blue skies. The
song caps off the demo nicely.
Senior Recreation is John Southard and Harris Pittman mixing the best elements of Dntel, Ride, and maybe a dash of Postal Service (I bet they get that a lot). But those are serious compliments. Many bands attempt to blend pop and noise through keyboards, samples, and guitar wash and usually the lyrics end up taking a back seat. Senior Recreation are of the listenable type who do an excellent job at creating depth, saturation, and lyrical meaning without sounding like xerox versions of their peers.
The Little Ones: Sing Song EP
(Self-Released, 2006)
There's
a whole lot of bells, keys, jangly guitars, some flute, and loads of
sing-a-long vocal harmonies. This is a band that L.A. desperately needs
with all the new wave, rock impostors springing up every week xeroxing
a sound that is tired and uninteresting. "Lovers who Uncover" is a
straight-ahead pop gem with an infectious chorus. "Cha Cha Cha" has
some really nice guitar work and a keyboard melody that reminds me of
stepping off an airplane onto my own private island. "High on a Hill"
is reminiscent of many Elephant 6 bands with it's
anthemic drumming and marching rhythm. The other tracks never let up
either. Once you get grooving into a chorus or verse something else
about the song springs up and demands attention
I saw The Little Ones merely by chance at a place called Little Pedro's in Downtown, L.A. While people lined up for the Tetris tournament I was wondering who this "Little One" would be. I started to notice some fellows meandering about and tinkering with gear. They looked suspiciously like members from Sunday's Best, remember them? They were, but that's only half the band. This is a pop-ensemble in the vein of The Shins, Modest Mouse, and Olivia Tremor Control with some occasional tropical flair. They were confident and charming fellows driving pop hooks into my brain. Where the hell did this band come from? Will I get to play Tetris? Sing Song is an outstanding 6-song EP and could easily pass as a mini-album.
I get the feeling that The Little Ones have somehow been set free from something. There's a specific, endearing joy in every song. Their EP is so uplifting and easy to love you could play it for a class of first graders, or people of any age for that matter, and they would like it for many of the same reasons you would. That's a quality rarely experienced in pop music these days.
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