PopSyndicate.com

It’s time for another EP roundup.  There are lots of bands out there fighting to be discovered and earn your hard earned dollars.  EP’s are especially hard to merit a purchase since they usually have only 3-5 songs on the disc.  Thanks to the digital age, you can down download these bands for a reasonable price but how can you tell the good from the bad? 

You can finally stop worrying about this problem and get some much needed sleep because Pop Syndicate is here to separate the wheat from the chaff.  We’ve picked four up and coming bands to review.  Some are winners and some are…well…they need a bit more work.

The Canon Logic - The White Balloon Ep

This Phliadelphia based rock band take The Beach Boys and add a modern sensibility.  It’s a beautiful melding of the old with the new to create something fun and exciting on The White Balloon.  Opening the album is “Delia”, a feel good track that builds anticipation for the rest of the songs.  It’s bouncy, upbeat and pure fun.  The EP includes “New York, New York” and “The Run” as well as video of an acoustic performance.  Any of these songs could make it into the top 40.  The Canon Logic has potential to make it into the big leagues. The fun upbeat pop will help you forget how much the rest of your life sucks right now.  I can’t wait for the band to release their first full length album.  You can listen to “The Run” and “Delia” as well as two other songs not on The White Balloon EP on their MySpace Page (http://www.myspace.com/thecanonlogic).

Rating: 4.5/5

Midnight Movies – Nights EP

Part Cowboy Junkies, part Mazzie Star, Midnight Movies weaves a psychedelic pop sound that isn’t afraid to rock out.  The Nights EP is a follow up to last years debut album Lion the Girl.  Of the six songs on the CD, two (Souvenirs (Rick Zinner Remix) and Patient Eye (James Iha Remix)) are remixes of songs from that album.  Opening the album is a cover of the Moody Blues classic “Nights in White Satin”.  It’s beautifully updated with a more rocking sensibility.  Imagine the Moody Blues as done by Velvet Revolver especially during the closing moments of the song with whaling guitars and rambunctious organ.  “Nights In White Satin” also closes out the album but this time it’s in French, which begs the question, if you only have a six tracks, why duplicate one?  The French version does sound a little sexier and more breathy but having two versions seems like a waste.  The two new songs (“Stormy Eyes” and “Should Have Known”) show what the band is about, strong rock ala the Doors or Velvet Underground with a modern twist.  Gena Olivier’s sexy vocals bring the psychedelic fusion together.

MySpace Page: http://www.myspace.com/midnightmovies

Rating: 4.5/5

Porcupine Tree – Nil Recurring EP

This is my introduction to the UK-based group Porcupine Tree.  They released their first studio album back in 1991 so this is a well established act.  Nils Recurring is a companion EP to their album from last year called Fear of a Black Planet.  If you pick up the LP version of Fear of a Black Planet, the Nils Recurring EP is on it.  Porcupine Tree almost defies description.  It’s a spacey rock psychedelic trip that flows from the dainty to the aggressive often in the same song.  The instrumental title track opens the EP and it’s a six minute jam out that sounds like it should be on the soundtrack to a big budget science fiction or horror film.  It’s the shortest track on the EP.  I’m not a big fan of long play songs.  Normally anything over four minutes feels excessive.  Porcupine Tree combats this fatigue by constantly changing up the rhythm and flow of the song.  With only four songs, Nils Recurring clocks in at almost 30 minutes.  Fans of the group will revel at having new music from the band. 

MySpace Page: http://www.myspace.com/porcupinetree

Rating: 4/5

The Lions Rampant – Play Rock n Roll EP

And now it’s time for some edgy guitar rock.  Psychedelic would not be a word I would use to describe this quartet from the Midwest.  This is The Lions Rampant’s second EP, Play Rock n Roll!, is the antithesis to three other bands listed here.  It’s just simple garage band rock bliss.  This is get in, get out music.  Lead singer Stuart MacKenzie leads his band with wild abandonment.  “70-30” opens like a forgotten The Hives track.  In fact, I would almost call The Lions Rampant an American version of The Hives.  Blending blues, punk and a bit of rockabilly, this isn’t a band that’s going to make it big but they should have a strong underground following through the college and club circuit.  This is a band you want to see live with a group of rowdy friends.  Play Rock n Roll is a solid EP and sets a high standard for their first feature length album hopefully coming out later this year.

MySpace Page: http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=70091309

Rating: 3.5/5

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