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You all know that the ATL has a really solid rock n’ roll scene, and they’ve been sending out bands left and right to help take over the world. Turf War is another one of those acts, kicking out some really awesome hits. We caught up with John Robinson before the group head our way.
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For around five years now, Gringo Star has been bringing you buzzing, guitar driven rock music. If you have yet to discover this band’s jamming style, then Count Yer Lucky Stars is an excellent place to dive right in. If you’ve already relished in this band’s ability to make you air guitar and sing right alongside the gravelly vocals, then Count Yer Lucky Stars will be a lovely edition to your listening catalog.
The first song on this album is, “Shadow,” which kicks in with some choral yells in the background and some cutting guitars riding on top. The vocals step in, distorted at some points, yet still the familiar grit and sting that makes the overall sound so buzzy. Meanwhile, the steady force behind this song comes from the drums, ever knocking away. Upon first listen, you may be a bit underwhelmed, as this band doesn’t have a super unique and distinctive sound, but after a few repeats, it’s a solid start to the album. Next up is a simple jam band anthem on “You Want It,” complete with gang oohs and aahs, along with some drum builds into the chorus. This songs simplicity contrasts with the first song and lightens things up a little for the listener.
Sixth up on Count Yer Lucky Stars is “Come Alive,” whose chorus makes you smitten with this group. The stark guitar part aches for air guitar mimics and the simple vocals are easy to join in, and soon you’re with Gringo Star in their jamming. On the very next song, “Esmarelda,” the band takes a sultry, and borderline sinister flair with the song; you still have the same buzzing guitars and the raw tones that are the cruxes of this bands sound, but they show that they are not afraid to step beyond the norm. This band does a grand job at delving into all aspects of their genre and this allows for the songs to avoid redundancy.
However much merit this album has to offer to you depends most heavily on the amount of time you spend with it. If you are one of those people that is a firm believer in judging an album based on the first track, then stop being one of those people and give this album a few listens all the way through. You will find that there are some morsels of goodness that Gringo Star has waiting for you inside this fall release.
Ever since I first heard the dance inducing music of Reptar, I knew they were a band I had to check out during ACL festival in a few weeks. As we always do, we’ll be bringing you as many interviews as we possibly can while we build up to the festival date. You can also expect some sweet interview features coming after the festival with the bands we sit down with over the weekend. For now, we’ve got a great interview for you with Graham from Atlanta based indie-dance band Reptar. Follow the jump for more.
We’ve been following the Atlanta scene rather closely, as they’re pushing out a lot of great bands, both big and small. You can’t really pinpoint one singular sound in the town, but you can definitely nail-down a communal sense of belonging. Here’s our interview with Balkans, Atlanta’s hottest new band. Read more
Atlanta seems to have a lot of unnoticed talent, and that being the case, I was fortunate enough to find an email including some sweet bedroom dance tunes from Roman Photos, who have a killer design aesthetic to go with their killer tuneage. They’ve got a few 7″s coming out in the next few months, one on Double Phantom Records. The track hear has some soft vocal traits, but don’t think of this as some sort of downtrodden affair; there’s an underlying beauty incorporated beneath layers of synth haze. If you’re into the band, you can also head to the band’s BANDCAMP, and hook yourself up with a free digital Into the Night EP of more tasty treats. Keep your eyes on this prize in the coming months.
Download: Roman Photos – Decline [MP3]
