Cassie and The Cassettes

Cassie and The Cassettes are a band that will brighten every crack and corner of your day. They bring sunshine to your heart and a smile to your face. Everything about them is bright and enjoyable, from vocals to instrumentation. 'I Don't Like You' is an upbeat tune sure to make you a fan from the start. I have a hard time describing just how much I enjoy this band. Cassie Layton has a voice that's light and delicate, but never seems to waver. The musicianship of this group is outstanding. There are so many sub par bands out there comprised of kids who merely pick up an instrument because it is "the thing to do". Not these kids, you can tell that they must greatly enjoy what they do, their music is punchy and unhurried. Their passion for the music they make radiates through to the listener. Cassie and the Cassettes are a contender for the ages, that in a few years you'll be saying " I knew them when they first started out"

Cassie and The Cassettes (myspace)

Burmese Days

Burmese Days is a personal favorite of this reviewer. In all honesty if I could listen to one band for the rest of my days, there would be a few contenders but Burmese Days would be the favorite to bet on. They are the archetype of British new wave, minimalist music. When delving into their pool of work for the first time, I was besotted. I can honestly say that I was absolutely smitten with this band. Their musings can only be described through their own lyrics. 'Every story has a sting and yours is impending.' Their sting will certainly have a long lasting effect on anyone that comes across them. Songs like 'Early Hours' and 'Giving Up On The Girl' will have you wanting more and more. This is the type of band that no one could truly dislike, even if it isn't your style, you will enjoy listening along.

Having heard Burmese Days' newest release 'Heaven Sent' I can say this is Burmese Days at their finest moment, and I didn't think they could get much better. This new wave-esque song is so delightfully poppy that nothing compares. The tune is so amazingly catchy, that once you hear it you will be addicted. This band is well worth the listen.

Burmese Days (myspace)

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!