Mezzanine Owls - Slingshot Echoes well, you know, i'd say you and i have been together long enough now that i can share with you a few pieces of personal information. one, i use soy milk instead of regular. two, i often wander aimlessly around CVS in my free time. three, i have a major and sometimes embarrassing penchant for birds. yes, birds. i am not a birder, but a bird appreciator, and most of the time involves my finding their every move the funniest thing i've ever seen. pigeons in city parks? forget it. i'm all over that.

and so, owls! i am immediately attracted to this upandcoming band Mezzanine Owls. it's undeniably true that band names can attract or repel you (or it better be, because that's what i have going for me) and these guys drew me in -- to at least giving their music a chance. and let me tell you, i'm really into it.

Owls give you what you've been looking for. heavy on the instrumentation, vocals come in like echoey shoegaze, drawing from late eighties and early nineties alternative, channeling a little Bono in places (in the best way possible, i mean that), especially in their single "Lightbulb." repetitive, layered guitar work mesmorizes like an Interpol song, but keeps somehow lighter and more ethereal, more intricately composed. they sound breathtakingly similar to the Aussie art rock band, The Church. often i hear influences from alt country, little twangs and pings, but the vast majority of their sound-alikes aren't from this era. they're art rock, alternative, shoegaze, and essentially really frickin' cool. the last thing i should reveal to you? i have a major weakness for late eighties alternative.

::::judging a band by its name is often quite a good idea.
Mezzanine Owls - Moving Ground
- i highly recommend this tune. its the first track off of Slingshot Echoes and it's the perfect introduction to the band. vocals are uncharacteristically...excited...compared to other tracks, but the instrumentation is topshelf and really quite catchy. lovely, lovely stuff.
Mezzanine Owls - Coyote
- this track comes in like a Wilco song. it's slow, and positively smashing with its influences right out there (you can go back to the Beatles, appropriately this time, maybe say "George Harrison" if you want to) and yet complete as its own beautiful piece. i love this song.

trek to the hype for their single, "Lightbulb," which is pretty great, and certainly addictive. don't believe me? go to their myspace, which has everything you'd ever want, like tracks and pictures and most importantly, a listen to their single. tell them hello. then, top priority, if you like it all, buy the album and see them in shows. this step-by-step process will lead you to indpendent music harmony. hooray!

and remember, kids. pigeons have feelings too. don't kick them.  shan  8:02 AM  |  view comments (0)