As with The Paperhead (who also have a recent 7" out on Trouble in Mind, review coming soon), the Resonars are obviously enamoured with the music coming out of the U.K in the sixties, although the Resonars material generally evokes more of the merseybeat / mod and freakbeat sound of 1965/1966 than the more oft referenced psychedelia that was to come.
Now, there are two things about the Resonars that are remarkable.
Firstly they're authentic to the era to the point that had I not known their origin I would have argued that the tracks contained here were the work of some great lost Liverpool band circa 1965, obviously cruelly underpromoted by their label - how else could these massive A.M radio hits in the making not have been chart toppers?
Secondly and more impressively, the Resonars aren't actually a band as such. Certainly they started out as one in the nineties, but these days every note is played, sung, harmonized, recorded and tweaked by one man - Matt Rendon.
Where similar arrangements by other artists who shall remain nameless often end up sounding flat and lifeless, the Resonars material is full of vitality and sounds like the work of a musically tight, hungry young band.
Of the four tracks featured here "Long Long Thoughts" is the most singleworthy with a massive chorus and Beatley pentatonic guitar riff.
"Sit Right Down" alternates between a sweet harmony laden verse and a much tougher garage rock chorus which evokes the likes of the Who and Ron Wood's early outfit the Birds.
"Paint My Windows Green" is my pick of the bunch - a great freakbeat number with infectious call and response vocals, tight harmonies and slashing guitar parts.
All up four quality tunes, none of which would have sounded out of place on mid sixties radio sandwiched between the Kinks and the Who.
You can buy the 7" E.P directly from Trouble In Mind Records here for just $5 U.S
Matt was kind enough to have a few words with us too:
Active Listener : The Hollies and the Who seem to have made a deep impression on you. Who are your other main influences?
Matt Rendon : The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Byrds, Guided By Voices, Yardbirds, Mamas & the Papas..there's too many to list actually. Any record I love has influenced me in one way or another. The Hollies thing, that's funny to me because, though I love them, they aren't a HUGE influence. It just so happens that our harmony vocal ranges are similar and that my voice sounds like Allan Clarke's at times.
A.L : What do you find are the pro's and cons associated with being a one man band?
M.R : The pro is putting exactly what you want on tape without compromise, but that also can be a con. The major con though is being stuck in a room by yourself for such a long stretch of time.
A.L : What can you tell us about your next album?
M.R : It's called Crummy Desert Sound and it will be released by Burger. It's taken FOREVER to do because of all the different recording machines used. A lot of the songs have been recorded two or three times. Vocals need to be added and then it's finished.
No comments:
Post a Comment