The Best Side Projects

In recent months I have come across many side projects that have kept me amused for a long while. Here is a list of side projects that are as good than any actual band out there.

▹The Country Side Project-
It doesn't matter if you like county/bluegrass or not this is simply good music in its purest form. Everything that comes from the fingertips of these lads is genius. Their music is entertaining and holds your attention, Their cover of 'Wannabe' is by far the best cover I have ever heard; it is amusing and makes you with they would cover every song ever done by the Spice Girls. In their own inimitable way.

The Country Side Project (myspace)
'Wannabe'- The Country Side Project
'The Country Side Project'- The Country Side Project

▹Police, Camera, Action!-
I think we all have out guilty pleasures, music that we know isn't good but when you talk about it, you can't help but smile. From the first moment you listen to Police, Camera, Action you won't be able to contain yourself. When first listening to this music you will go through a series of emotions: shock, confusion,stun, slightly uncomfortable, and finally the comical stylings will have you won over.

Police, Camera, Action! (myspace)

▹Rowan- Rowan Martins rendition of Dizzee Rascals 'Fix Up, Look Sharp' is one that you will find yourself going back to his page again and again to hear. 'Hailstones' and 'Tell me' will have you captivated. This is the type of music that when you need a break from everything you can turn to Rowan's musings and settle down. Rowan is a part of one of this reviewers' favorite band Burmese Days. It is not surprising that a member of that lovely band makes such amazing music of his own.

Rowan (myspace)

▹L'Homme Run- Not quite a side project, but one of the best nonetheless. Consisting of Ezra Koenig(Vampire Weekend) and Andrew Kalaidjian, this duo dabbles in the increasingly comedic field of white rap. 'Pizza Party' will have you sining it's hook all day long, it won't take you but a second to fall in love with their lyrics. "P-I-Z-Z-A P-A-R-T-Y if you got a blunt, then we can get high" there is nothing that compares to a little L'Homme Run on a rainy day.

L'Homme Run (myspace)

This Club

As a reviewer, there are three critical criteria to me.

The first is always first and foremost if the tune (or artist) I'm listening to makes a strong first impression on me. To me this means whether I can hear and feel the music, the artist's ability to reach their audience in the message or story of the tune and whether there's potential to impact others. The first criteria is, to me, the most important.

The second criteria is technical. Whether the vocals and instrumentation are strong and how they benefit or detract from the song determining if it's a professional effort or a work in progress.

The third is if the song has the potential to be a contender. The commercial market is war. I wish it wasn't so but due to the competitive nature of business in general it has, as a major industry, become a cut throat environment where artists are often supported not because of their natural talent but because of how much investment has been put into their careers, eliminating those with the most to offer as newcomers. I hate it but to exist and continue there must be either an excruciatingly commercial or revolutionary newness to the artist and or song.

This being said, this particular group This Club has a shot. I like her unusual voice (Malissa Layton), in an age where the soprano's mostly rule the songstress categories she's got a rich almost contralto fullness that blends beautifully with brilliant harmonies when they blend in the many hooks, and chorus' at the end of the verses. The only drawback is the mix isn't fully finished and the vocals waver in sound levels inconsistently at points, nothing a good mix can't fix. This Club has a very good effort going on. We look forward to hearing much more of them in the future.

This Club (myspace)
'Together Forever' - This Club

St. Mannequins

St. Mannequins seems to be a band with the intentions to make people happy, and it works. Their gentle tunes portray a rare sincerity, with voices like bells that still sound certain. Child-like songwriting, with lyrics about dinosaurs and grooms shaped just like silos are never corny and instead add to the enchantment that the every song feeds the listener. Listening feels like eating cake with strawberry frosting and rainbow sprinkles: sweet, pretty, addictive.

‘Wyoming’ opens their EP and is instantly beautiful. It has the kind of optimism that in turn fills you with high hopes for what is to come, and has the ability of making one happy on the spot.

‘Why can’t we write a love song?’ gives the impression of a lullaby, with a healthy serving of “la la la”s, and is about just why they allegedly can’t write a love song. Interestingly enough, they do a fairly good job of it as they explore just what went wrong in their love lives, and end up cooing, “Hey, none of this is that important. We just tricked you into being our new boyfriends.” The listener may not be sure how much of a joke that was, but it does not make the situation uncomfortable, a trick that testifies to the hypnotic qualities of the tiny sounds and tiny voices that the St. Mannequins use to make their music.

However, the humor of the duo is confirmed (uh…maybe) on the next track titled ‘Knock me up’, a country-infused little ditty whose chorus is “la la la, I want your baby. Please please please just knock me up.” It is not the first track of its kind on the EP; the second track, ‘Out of bed, big untruth’ is another straight-up country song, about shooting a cheater. ‘Baby Joe’ is also similar, both with the country influence and content matter. This time, though, the girls escape their broken marriages, proclaiming “'Cause after ya’ll know, it’s ladies over bros!”


‘Dinosaurs’ is the most appealing of all, with lyrics that may seem overly goofy when attempted by someone else, but the girls possess such an honesty in their music that it is hard to doubt them for a second when they claim that “if I were a big fat elephant, I would hang out with that rhino in the sky”.

‘Fairy Princess’ is more somber than the other tracks and closes the disc about a fairy princess that falls to earth, but is no less pleasing to the ear. In fact, as far as guitars go, it is a favorite on the disc.

The St. Mannequins embody all things beautiful and sweet, and make soft yet satisfying songs that get stuck in your head after the first listen. Not to worry, though; it’ll just put you into a good mood and make you feel pretty.

Upcoming gigs for St. Mannequins include:
Annex on May 27th & the SHE-BANG festival (a Long Island girl band festival) in June. They are also going to be recording this summer for their upcoming album.
Many of their tracks are available for download on their myspace.
St. Mannequins (myspace)
'Wyoming' - St. Mannequins
'Sharks'- St. Mannequins
'Fairy Princess' - St. Mannequins

Qualia

Qualia sounds like a pretty mediocre band….and then you learn that they are each only between ages 14 and 16. Suddenly, a couple of things make sense, and you can forgive them for a few of their missteps.

For example, ‘G2K’ has a surprisingly dark sound that seems pretty promising, though by the time you’re into it, you can’t help but feel that the song would be better after a little bit of thinning out; that dark stuff begins to feel a little heavy as the boys slab on pounding drums and a whole lot of guitars with increased intensity as they go, and a guitar solo later on overlapped with “oh”s are not helping the cause. ‘Goldfish’ reminds you just how young they are, with lyrics (not surprisingly) about a goldfish, and their use of counting in the chorus. ‘Goldfish’ is a bit simpler than ‘G2K’as it slightly more garage-rock influenced, and the goofiness of it all is a bit endearing in the end, whether or not their intent was to be goofy.

Qualia’s sound is noisy British rock, and while some may not be willing to give another noisy British rock band a chance, you may enjoy some of what they have to offer; Danny Lowney, who also serves as guitarist, has pretty good pipes, and at times are combined just right with the band’s other elements to crank out an energy truly reflecting their youth. They also have a healthy amount of attitude that may seem ridiculous when displayed by other youngsters, but Qualia is able to pull it off. After all, it should be said that these guys handle their instruments well.

Qualia isn’t exactly serving up anything new; still, they have a together sound and some good ideas that we can only expect them to build upon for many years. Does the fact that they’re young make this music good? Maybe, maybe not; it really depends on what kind of music listener you are. At any rate, give their tracks a listen, if for no other reason than to be able to say a bit down the road that you were on the Qualia bandwagon before they got big.

Qualia (myspace)

Drop's new Logo Image

We are pleased to unveil our new, official logo dreamed up by the fantastic Johnny Bayles!
For more of Johnny's work you can visit his website here
Thank you Johnny!

Wingnut Dishwashers Union

We of Drop made our way to the Tinderbox in Brattleboro, Vermont to talk to Patrick Schneweiss, aka Pat the Bunny, the main man of Wingnut Dishwashers Union. It was a cold, snowy, and typical Vermont day, despite the fact that it was already March 28. After our trek through the snow and into the colorful Tinderbox, it looked for a second that we may not get our very first interview after all. However, after assuring Patrick that we were not in fact actual members of the music industry, he was more than happy to talk to us, saying that he had never really gotten press before. During our interview in the Tinderbox bathroom (vibrantly painted), Patrick told of his experience touring Australia and the US, his years as a nihilist, revealed what kind of tree he would be if he was one (in the best answer to any question in any interview, EVER), and told us he believes drinking and hitchhiking your way through life “leads just as much nowhere” as the college-bound kids. We love this man and his music, and we’re confident that he’s the nicest punk-rocker, possibly even just person, you’ll ever come across. Download the full interview now, and you’ll probably find that you are just as fond of him.

Wingnut Dishwashers Union (myspace)
'Picking Sides' - Wingnut Dishwashers Union
'Jesus Does The Dishes' - Wingnut Dishwashers Union
'For A Girl In Rhinelander, WI' - Wingnut Dishwashers Union
Pat The Bunny Interview
We'd like to thank Pat The Bunny for this interview.

The Terrordactyls

photo by Jerome Jakubiec

There is no other music like The Terrordactyls. They are truly one of-a-kind. Everything from their lyrics, instrumentation and artwork is original. “I would swim next to you forever but I fear that you will tire of me and drift off with the shark” is one sparkling example (from ‘Swimming’ off of their full-length self-titled album). After listening to their music for a split second, there is no way you would ever tire of them or drift off. Last Saturday, Drop was lucky enough to be able to host a show with The Terrordactyls and to get to see them play. After seeing them perform, and having a chance to speak with them, I have an even greater, new found respect for the music they create. Their music is so much their own that if anyone else tried to copy it, it wouldn’t pass for anything but a bad attempt at good music.

Their music has a truly enchanting innocence about it; of course, these are the kids who in high school skipped class to go climb trees. Their claim that they have never really grown up explains why their music has the spirit of a child coupled with the skills of an experienced musician. Everything they do is absolutely endearing; they are the only guys in the world that could pull off their music and yet have it be so meaningful. ‘Overcast Summer’ from their EP entitled ‘Mike Bowers’ (a collection of cover songs written by The Pharmacy) is a must hear. Their self titled album, “The Terrordactyls” is filled with the best of the best. There isn’t one track that is below par. Some tracks you won’t be able to get out of your head are: ‘Facelift’, ‘Decoration Daniel’, ‘I Want To Cry’, ‘Swimming’, ‘Fall’ , ‘Parking Lot’ and many, many more.

If you would like to know more about The Terrordactyls, please give our interview with them and their drummer Kellen (from Yes, Oh Yes) a listen. It’s 44 + some minutes of entertaining fun, filled with everything from how they write their music, how their tour has been, to what kind of tree they would like to be. It’s also available for download, as is their entire album on iTunes. Watch for their new CD, soon to

The Terrordactyls (myspace)
The Terrordactyls (website)
The Terrordactyls interview

We'd really like to thank the Terrordactyls for their time and this great interview.