Rhett Repko - Thnx For The Ride (2017)

OFFICIAL: http://www.rhettrepko.com/

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/rhettrepko/

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/RhettRepko

Written by Mike Yoder, posted by blog admin

Make no mistake, this isn’t a hard rock album. There’s some solid riffing scattered across the entirety of Rhett Repko’s Thnx For The Ride, but the title song and opening cut clarifies from the first that this isn’t closer to a take on classic rock fused with solid pop fundamentals and high octane energy. Repko’s intensely engaged voice pairs up well with lead guitarist Stefan Heuer’s occasional backing vocals and there’s a satisfying amount of post production gloss and effects further enhancing the tune. “Please Don’t Laugh” features a less stylized guitar sound from Heuer, vividly reflected in his lead guitar work, but the same wont for tempo and pacing experimentation remains strong with this performance. The vocals are even stronger than what we heard from the opening number and contrast nicely with the straight rock guitar attack. They slow things down to notable effect just after the song’s midway point and the dynamics of this number are even more dramatic than those we hear with the title song.

“It Ain’t Coming From You” is the EP’s highlight for me. This isn’t a put down of the six other fine tracks featured on Thnx For The Ride, but everything comes together here with just a dollop more of cohesiveness and velocity than the first two songs and you can hear Repko senses that as well. He lets a barnburner of a vocal fly all out here, but there’s always a tight grip on his style and it never feels out of control. “Maybe I’m Weak” embodies the sort of personal, yet accessible and relatable songwriting, that’s brought Repko a great deal of notice and it’s clear he’s refining his style more and more with each new composition and release. The exponential growth of a talented young musician and songwriter is a thing to behold and Rhett Repko is progressing like few others today.

“And I Told Her So” is nearly every bit the equal of “It Ain’t Coming From You” and the only area where the latter tune surpasses it is the lyrics, but that’s ultimately a matter of taste. Lead guitarist Stefan Heuer turns in an especially memorable performance, particularly his guitar solo, and it’s a joy to listen how these musicians respond to each other. There is a smattering of acoustic guitar heard on Thnx For The Ride, but it’s always in support of the electric and adds more muscle to the overall performance. “Learn Your Name”, the EP’s second to last track, is a churning, tightly arranged tune distinguished by a rhythm section working in fluid lockstep with each other and Repko’s exuberant vocal deserves mention as being among the EP’s best. The EP finishes up with the track “Make Me Right”. It’s quite a romp to end Thnx For The Ride and again shows Repko’s tendency to manipulate musical dynamics in a dramatically appealing way. Rhett Repko’s second release of 2017 is one of the best indie rock releases in recent memory and a big part of that comes from the overpowering likability of its material.

Shofar - s/t (2017)

BANDCAMP: https://shofar.bandcamp.com/releases

BROADJAM: http://www.broadjam.com/shofar

Written by David Shouse, posted by blog admin

Shofar’s early catalog, available on CDBaby, doesn’t differ wildly from their return to recording, a self titled six song effort. Perhaps their songwriting concerns are a little more secularized than they were in the Minneapolis band’s earlier incarnation, but Shofar has always been more about a thoughtful, intelligent hue for the songwriting rather than some pulpit thumping broadside in a musical package. The six songs on this new EP lean more towards commercially minded and melodic rock with a mid-tempo pace, but there are some notable exceptions on this new release. Vocalist and main songwriter Larry Hagner remains a vital force at the center of the band’s compositions and has a talent for pouring a definable presence into the band’s performances. A number of these cuts should prove especially effective in a live setting.

“Running” opens the EP up with a blend of aggressive riff-focused guitars and some lengthy passages, especially during the verses, where they are more fixed on offering color to the piece. The hard rock portions of the track never really come again on this release, but Shofar shows they are more than capable of discharging some believable crunch through their music. “Powerman” is much more in keeping with the bulk of the EP, though it does place a greater emphasis on melody than instrumental assertiveness. It is, probably, the song on the EP best illustrating some of the band’s more obvious musical influences while still stamping the lyrics with a distinctive identity. “Shades of Grey”, unlike the aforementioned tune, looks within instead of without and demonstrates the immense artistry that Hagner and his band mates bring to the band’s more obviously personal material.

“Hands Down”, however, is much more clearly in a rowdy rock mode than any song save the first one. It boasts a particularly zesty chorus, as well, with Hagner riding high on the wave of its momentum. The band turns in their most inspired performance of the release as well and it’s keyed by a superb bit of drumming that sticks in the memory. We end up in a more poetic, imaginative realm with the EP’s final two cuts as “Countdown” envisions impending global calamity while the ending tune “The Coming” is open to a number of interpretations depending on your own imagination and familiarity with Shofar’s past material. Once again, they distinguish themselves by providing a compelling musical landscape and allowing listeners to arrive at their own conclusions. This self-titled EP is an experience like that – it doesn’t force itself on listeners but, instead, shares its heart and communicates with the hope that it finds different meaning with each new encounter.

Man Called Noon - Everybody Move (2017)

OFFICIAL: http://mancallednoon.com/

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/mancallednoon/

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/ManCalledNoon

Written by David Shouse, posted by blog admin

It’s evident from the shucking and jiving pop n’ rocky fury of lead-in number “Everybody Move” that Man Called Noon is intent on getting limbs swinging and bodies bumping with their danceable acrobatics.  Anthony Giamichael’s post-punk guitar shimmers and scorching solos work up a good melodic sweat set to a thrilling tempo ride set by drummer Josh Fontenot and bassist Dave Aitken’s well-oiled swagger.  Citing soul and Americana influences these elements ebb to the surface of Man Called Noon’s style thanks to the call n’ response vocal dynamics of Giamichael’s leads and Erin Piortrowski’s lavish back-ups; together the team makes the verbal component of the band’s sound airtight uber-contagious.  There’s a breathy, slightly nasally vibrato to Anthony’s leads that sounds a little like Tom Petty, but he keeps subtly shifting his tonality for a very original feel. 

The second composition “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang” might be the EP’s best overall piece but with the quality of material on offer here, well, that’s a tough call to make.  Still this tune charges forth on a careening drum performance that embellishes punk rock tempos but twists them towards new wave’s lockstep syncopation and fluid bass work.  The guitars hang back in this one and seem to add extra notes to help complete certain grooves, embracing a near minimalist approach to the playing which delegates synth-player Nathan Crone to a pivotal role that sees his swelling, sonically tough keyboards riffs placed right upfront in the track’s production mix.  Speaking of the production there’s a fine sheen to the total package yet a certain amount of rawness is present on each instrument; rendering Man Called Noon as a rambunctious act who can take a wiry rock song and sand it to a smooth pop masterpiece.  Again the harmony vocals shine as the instrumentation delves into a complexity one seldom hears when exploring this style of music.  These cats should be all over rock radio and hopefully they are. 

This superb EP crosses the finish line with “One Last Ride’s” raucous punk n’ soul shakedown; Piortrowski steps into a co-lead vocal position providing some wordless blues melodies that wrap around Giamichael’s hooks like man-eating pythons as a throttling rhythmic groove nails everything down tightly.  Upper echelon vocal trade-offs and some of the most striking guitar work on the recording (marked by another killer little solo run) yields this jam a rowdy aura that will make you really want to bounce off your bedroom walls.  The alchemical split between soul, rock, punk and electronic music isn’t performed quite like anybody else out there.  Man Called Noon is fiercely original when stacked against their closest competition. 

All three tracks on this EP hit the bullseye with abandon and attitude.  Though pop elements prevail and the songwriting is tailor made for dancing and bedroom mirror vocal performances, there’s a sonic slap in the snout to this music that makes it a bit more in your face than anybody else that does it. Man Called Noon is poised to release the best album of their career based on the strength of Everybody Move; keep an eye on them!